


Royalty7

by jooheist



Category: GOT7, K-pop
Genre: F/M, King Jackson Wang, King Lim Jaebeom, Long, M/M, Mentioned Other K-pop Artist(s), Original Character(s), Possible Character Death, Royal Guard Kim Yugyeom, Royal Guard Park Jinyoung, Royalty AU, Slow Burn, royal au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-27
Updated: 2021-01-11
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:15:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 22,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26672764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jooheist/pseuds/jooheist
Summary: Hey y'all I thought I'd try my hand at fic writing. This one's gonna be a doosy!
Relationships: Choi Youngjae/Im Jaebum | JB, Im Jaebum | JB/Park Jinyoung, Kunpimook Bhuwakul | BamBam/Kim Yugyeom, Park Jinyoung/Jackson Wang
Comments: 8
Kudos: 23





	1. An Introduction and a Conclusion

**Author's Note:**

> Hey y'all I thought I'd try my hand at fic writing. This one's gonna be a doosy!

Not so long ago in a relatively distant universe, there lived a young princess. Her name was Chae-jin of the Lim Dynasty. Her family was well loved amongst the people of the kingdom. Her father and mother ran the country together graciously while the princess studied and her brother partied. Lim Jae-beom might be the main reason the people loved the Lim family so much. Sometimes he’d invite select families to a royal dinner and party afterward or host tournaments that anyone in the kingdom could participate in. Chae-jin especially enjoyed the balls her older brother held in the castle each season. Her father would allow her to take a break from her studies to attend each one. One of the king’s main goals was to share his love of music with his children as well as his subjects. Jae-beom and Chae-jin would perform duets together whenever their father commanded it, and he commanded it frequently. What could he say? The people loved their angelic voices! Sometimes the siblings would show off their other musical talents during balls; the prince was fond of musical instruments while the princess favored the art of dance. No matter the medium, music created a strong connection between the members of the Lim family and an even stronger bond between the royals and their subjects. 

* * *

We begin our story in the princess’s twentieth year of life. Princess Lim Chae-jin found herself staring dreamily out one of the castle’s windows. The first signs of autumn were appearing across the kingdom. The leaves had not changed colors yet, but the days were getting shorter and the temperature was beginning to drop. A crisp breeze sent a shiver down the princess’s spine as she cracked open the window slightly. She glanced over to her companion with a grin plastered across her face. Chae-jin raised her mug in the air. The person sitting across from her did as well. They clinked the ceramics together and sipped their contents in unison. It seemed like the perfect start to a perfect day.

“Lim Chae-jin!” a voice shouted down the hall, “You naughty princess, where are you!”

Chae-jin’s friend shouted back, “You always know how to kill a peaceful moment!”

The hallway shouter came into sight. “I should’ve known you two would be together. Get down from there! How old are you two? C’mon!”

Did I not mention that the tea drinkers were sitting on a little ledge almost two stories high? The princess and her companion simultaneously rolled their eyes and carefully descended the wall. On the last couple of steps down, the friend managed to spill some of his tea on his clothing.

The hallway shouter quickly fished a green handkerchief from his leather satchel and dabbed the spot. “Yugyeom, you klutz! How could you think you wouldn’t spill on yourself? You’ll have to change out of your uniform, and it’s almost time for your morning training—”

“Mark, you are always worrying! More than usual today,” Chae-jin’s friend, Yugyeom, interrupted him. Yugyeom swatted Mark’s help away. “It’s just a little spot it will dry. And, for the record, this is the first time I have ever spilled.”

Mark’s eyes almost jumped out of their sockets. “You’re telling me you’ve climbed up there more than once!”

Yugyeom quickly responded, “Is that the bell I hear already? Looks like I’ve gotta run! See you later, bro! Have a good day Jinnie!”

Mark continued yelling at Yugyeom as he jogged down the hall. The only reason Chae-jin didn’t intervene was because she found it so entertaining.

She eventually ended the harassment by commenting, “You act more like his mother than his brother.”

Mark sighed deeply. “Sometimes it feels that way. But! I would not have to act this way at all if you two would act your flipping age!” He began to stride down the corridor.

Chae-jin struggled to match his pace. “You’re not ancient, Mark. You’re only four years older than us,” she pointed out.

“The two of you age me by the day. Mentally, I’m already in my eighties. Hopefully, Yugyeom will act more mature when he finally finishes guard training, and you’ll act more mature once we finish your studies. That is if we ever finish your studies.”

Chae-jin giggled, “What is that supposed to mean?”

Mark was unsettled by what he had said. He thought for a moment and replied, “I just mean that you’ve been shirking your work all week!” Mark inhaled sharply, stopped in his tracks, and turned towards the girl. He stated sincerely, “Princess, you are one of the most intelligent pupils I have ever had the chance to teach. Besides your parents, you’re probably the smartest person in this kingdom. No, I’m not just saying that. It’s true! The problem is you’re just as carefree as the prince! I taught your brother too. Yes, it was significantly harder because he never took me seriously. That’s not the point. The point is that he had almost as much potential as I see in you, and he threw it away for the temptations of royalty. I fear his actions will cause regrets soon. I don’t want to see that happen to you.”

Chae-jin took a deep breath and lurched to Mark. He was surprised but returned the embrace lovingly. The princess said, “You’re a better big brother than JB.”

Mark chuckled, “Don’t say that. I’m just more available and experienced in it that’s all. Now, let’s go learn something before your mother has my head.”

* * *

Each member of the Lim family was burdened with different duties and responsibilities. As you can imagine, this made experiencing regular family life very difficult. They attempted to make up for some of the loss by always eating meals together, no matter what. So, Chae-jin had to scramble to make it down to the dining room to meet her family for lunch. Mark just wouldn’t shut up! He kept teaching and teaching! Chae-jin eventually weaseled her way out of his study and scurried to her normal seat at the dining table. She suddenly realized that she was the only one there, and the hall was eerily silent. 

The princess twiddled her thumbs in front of her empty plate for a few moments before venturing out to find the vacant seats’ past occupants. She entered the corridor directly outside of the dining hall. There was no one there. It was not unusual for the Lim’s wing to be quiet, especially at that time of day. But, at that moment, it was too quiet for comfort. Chae-jin walked further down the corridor to gaze through the large glass doors leading to the castle’s west courtyard. She couldn’t believe her eyes when she found her brother sauntering around the garden by himself.

She opened the door and shouted out, “JB! I've been looking all over for you!”

Jae-beom jumped with shock. He sighed, “Oh, it’s just you, CJ.”

Chae-jin joined him outside. “I’m sorry if I startled you. I’m just surprised to see you out here and not in the dining hall.”

Jae-beom furrowed his brows and looked down at his watch. “How could I forget about lunch?” he asked himself frantically.

The princess calmed him down right away. “It’s okay. I was late too, but mom and dad weren’t there either. Weird? I know right?”

The weirdness continued as the siblings witnessed Yugyeom running down the hallway in front of them. Mark was following him but had to take a breather in front of the glass doors. He turned his head to the courtyard. When he realized who he was looking at, his eyes widened, he screamed out Yugyeom’s name at the top of his lungs, and waved him over. CJ and JB walked back into the castle in a disoriented fashion. No one knew quite what was going on. And when Chae-jin asked her teacher if he knew what was going on, he was too out of breath to answer. Meanwhile, Yugyeom, the person who had just sprinted back down the corridor, was ready and willing to answer.

He blurted, “There's an assassin in the castle!”

Mark added solemnly, “And...they’ve killed your father.”

Both of the royals froze. 

Mark sprang into action, motioning everyone into his study down the hall. “You’ll all be safe here,” he said, “I mean who would look for half of the royal family in a random teacher’s office?”

“Hey! Where do you think you’re going!” Yugyeom stopped his brother from leaving.

Mark answered, “I’m going to get help.”

“Well, I”m—”

Mark said sternly, “No, Kim Yugyeom, you’re not. You’re going to stay here and do your job! You wanted to be in the guard, so now you’re going to act like you’re in the guard!” Mark slammed the door behind him. A few seconds later, he reentered and threw himself into Yugyeom. He said sincerely, “I love you, Yugyeom.” Mark kissed his brother's forehead and left again.

Except for the loud click from the door when Yugyeom locked it, the study remained completely silent as the prince, princess, and guardsman in training waited for the teacher to return.

* * *

It took about an hour for Chae-jin to become unsettled. She noticed that everyone felt the same way, so she took the initiative. 

She stated confidently, “If we all go looking together, and don’t split up, we’ll be fine.”

The boys were in agreement. Yugyeom had unlocked the door by the end of her sentence. The trio crept out into the hallway and continued through the castle. As they rounded the corner near the west courtyard again, the group went into shock immediately. Jae-beom snapped out of it the fastest.

He murmured, “Guys, is that…”

Yugyeom let out a blood curdling scream of his brother’s name and shot across the floor to the lifeless body lying in a pool of deep crimson blood. Suddenly, Chae-jin’s world went black.


	2. Exiled

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let's look at a different perspective, shall we?

All Jackson wanted was a quiet day to himself in his extremely comfortable bed, but no. He was awakened to the sound of a light tap at his window. Jackson rolled over and grunted sharply into a pillow before strutting across his room to the window. He smoothly reached for the latch and pushed the window out. 

As he strolled over to his ancient oak dresser to grab a set of fresh clothes, he groaned, “You realize this is my day off, right?”

Apparently, Jackson wasn’t just talking to the wind. A boy appeared, hanging upside down out the window. He clicked his tongue. “Yeah, I know,” he responded happily and swung into the room. “Is that anyway to welcome your best friend back from his long journey!” He flopped onto Jackson’s bed.

“Wow, just make yourself at home, why don’t you?” Jackson responded groggily.

The boy locked his hands behind his head, leaned back, and sighed. “You have it pretty great here, Wang.”

Jackson finished dressing and decided to fix his hair in the mirror. “You could have it too, BamBam.”

“No. The Snake could have it, not me.”

Jackson nodded and sat next to his friend on the bed. “You’re right,” he said, “Too bad you two aren’t the same exact person or anything.”

BamBam lightly jabbed Jackson in the ribs. “C’mon, man. Let’s not talk about that today.” 

“You’re the one that brought it up!”

The boy jumped out of bed and struck a pose, “Today, I am Bam, Prince Jackson Wang’s trusted squire and friend.” He bowed to the royal.

Jackson burst out laughing. He rolled off of the bed so he could ruffle BamBam’s hair. He said, “Okay. You can be Bam if you call me Jack.”

“Good,” the younger replied, “I’m not gonna lie, it felt kind of weird to call you prince.”

“It felt weird to hear. Even the maids call me Jackson.”

“Oh, really? Because I think they like to call you Jacky!”

Both of the boys giggled as Jackson tried to ruffle BamBam’s hair again. Shortly, the duo held a truce and began the brisk journey across the castle to the kitchen for breakfast.

“Man, you really do have it great here.”

“Why do you keep saying that?”

Bam shrugged, “I’m just stating a fact.”

Jackson was still skeptical. “Yeah...alright.”

The boys sat down at a special little table in the kitchen. This particular table was right next to a window with a great view of the castle’s stables. It was their place. When Jackson didn’t have busy mornings, he’d try to find BamBam so they could eat together. That way, he’d be sure Bam would eat at least one good meal that day. 

BamBam was an orphan. He stayed at one of the royal orphanages throughout his childhood. When he became an adult, he sought to work for the royals themselves. Luckily, the king was looking for a young assistant to keep his rowdy son busy. BamBam jumped at the chance and was soon hired. He didn’t stay in the castle, not even in the servants quarters. He usually wore loose, muted green robes with matching shoes. The dark color made sneaking around the city and the castle very easy. BamBam believed he was hired because he hit it off with the prince right away, but little did he know of the king and queen's ulterior motives. 

The royals had heard stories of a little “snake” in one of their orphanages. He would steal extra food rations and pickpocket the guards on duty. No matter how many incidents they heard about, they did not punish this miscreant. In fact, they rewarded him, time and time again. The king and queen continued to observe their little snake until the time finally came for him to repay their kindness.

* * *

Jackson and BamBam spent the rest of the day together. There wasn’t anything special planned except for Jackson’s weekly meeting with the guard to make sure his trainees were being treated fairly. BamBam stayed right by his prince’s side as he chatted for hours with the boys and girls in guard training. His face lit up when he talked to them. Their faces lit up as he’d listened intently to their stories. These interactions were truly the best part of his week as well as the trainees’ week.

Jackson even decided to have dinner with them that night. He didn’t care if he could have had a better prepared meal with his own family; their company was nothing compared to the company he ate with now. But, you know what they say, all good things must come to an end. And well, this was a great thing, so the time seemed to fly by even faster! Soon the boys and girls were sent to their bed chambers for rest. Meanwhile, the squire accompanied the prince to his own room. Jackson noticed his friend had seemed off all day, and as they stood outside his door, the offness has reached its peak.

“Hey, are you alright? Don’t lie to me,” the prince asked seriously

His friend smiled and placed his hand on Jackson’s shoulder. This quickly turned into a hug which Jackson was not prepared for. Nonetheless, he embraced his friend back. BamBam said, “I had the best day, Jack.”

Before Jackson could say anything back, Bam slipped away swiftly. Usually, Jackson would not be able to decipher which exit his friend took, but that night he was able to. This worried Jackson immensely. BamBam wasn't the only one off; The Snake was anxious too!

Jackson decided to follow in the shadows. He tracked the Snake all the way to his father’s drawing room. Jackson waited until he saw BamBam enter before getting closer. Then, he leaned against the door to eavesdrop.

He heard his father’s voice first. “Ahh, The Snake,” he said, “What a wonderful night isn’t it?”

Then he heard his mother’s. “Have you done the deed?” she asked.

The king responded, “I guess my lovely wife wants me to stop beating around the bush. Well, Snake, have you?”

It was silent for an uncomfortable amount of time. Jackson peaked in through the crack in the door. He saw his friend standing in front of his parents. 

BamBam was wringing his hands. He said softly, “No.”

A few moments of silence passed. The royals exchanged glances.

Jackson felt his heart skip a beat. He noticed how Bam found a sudden source of strength. Maybe he was channeling his inner snake. BamBam stood up straight and put his hands behind his back so he’d stop wringing them. He lifted his chin into the air and said confidently, “I have not, and I will not. I already told this to your client. In the past, I may have been a petty criminal, but that’s not who I am anymore. I’m not your snake anymore.”

The king stood up slowly from his chair. He waltzed over to BamBam. “Is that your final answer?” he asked sternly.

BamBam swallowed hard and replied, “Yes, Your Majesty.”

The king nodded and then harshly slapped the boy across the face. The force sent BamBam to the floor. Jackson gasped. He felt the warmth leave his face. 

The queen bent down and raised BamBam’s chin. “You’re right,” she said, “You’re not our little snake anymore, not if you don’t do this job.”

“I won’t do it,” BamBam stated strongly, “I already informed the client.”

The queen flicked him away furiously. “Then, we no longer need you, and it’s time for you to face justice for your crimes. Kunpimook Bhuwakul, I sentence you to life in exile for your crimes against the throne.”

Jackson burst into the room. “No!” he shouted, “You can’t!”

The king was quick to silence him. “Son, you shouldn’t be here.”

Jackson ignored him. Instead, he clung to his friend. “I knew there was something wrong! What else are you not telling me, Bam?” He snapped to his parents, “What do you want him to do? I’ll do it!”

“No!” BamBam yanked Jackson away. “No one should do what they want me to do.

The queen called for the guards. They soon swarmed the room. Jackson was pulled back to his chambers while BamBam was pulled in the opposite direction towards the entrance. The prince cried out to his best friend as the guards struggled to drag him across the castle. The men threw Jackson into his room and locked the door behind him. Jackson pounded harshly on the doors, shouting the entire time. He shrank down, back against the entrance and started crying into his hands. Once he tired himself out from sobbing, he paced around his room to clear his thoughts. This only made him more furious.

Jackson punched his wall. He was too distracted to feel the rising pain in his hand or take note of the large hole that had formed in the wall. “The dots aren’t connecting!” he growled, “What was Bam going to do? Maybe he did do something exile worthy…” Jackson crawled into his bed and leaned back against the headboard. He looked over to where his friend was sitting next to him just hours earlier. He placed his hand gently on the spot. “BamBam could never do something like that!” In a frenzy, Jackson took out one of his lightest trunks and filled it with only the essentials. Once he was packed to his liking and had set up a fake Jackson lying in bed, he slid quietly out of his window. He jaunted over to the stables, saddled up his trusty steed, and fled his kingdom under the cover of darkness.


	3. An Announcement and Promotion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Lim family has an important announcement to make regarding the investigation of the former king's murder, and a hopeful guard trainee must make a difficult choice.

“How am I always late!” Princess Chae-jin cursed to herself as she ran through the hidden passageways of the castle, almost tripping on the stone stairs by the exit. She sprang out into an empty corridor, ran down another hallway, and at last reached the Great Hall where the rest of her family had gathered. She swiftly flew up the steps and took a seat on her throne next to her brother.

“It’s about time,” Jae-beom joked to his little sister.

His mother had a different attitude. She scoffed, “Finally, we can begin! Guards please call in the royal announcers. Oh, Chae-jin dear, please do fix yourself before they arrive.”

The princess frantically patted down her hair and arranged her clothing.

Her brother took her hands. “You look fine, CJ,” he said, “Mother is just...stressed that’s all. Let’s look like we have it under control in front of our people, okay?”

Chae-jin gave him a strong nod. “Okay,” she responded and followed with a deep breath.

The royal announcers entered the hall. They took their seats at the bottom of the steps in front of the royal family, pens and papers in hand. They were each eager to hear what the royals had to say, what they would have to announce to their people back home. 

King Jae-beom greeted them, “My trusted royal announcers! Good morning!” He stepped down to shake their hands.

His mother became unsettled. The king wasn’t meant to greet the lower announcers like this. “Your majesty, don’t you think we should get started?”

Jae-beom didn’t say anything back as he returned to his seat atop the steps. He liked how he was acting as the new king.

The queen continued, “Yes, everyone ready to write? Great. Then, I shall begin. Here’s the big announcement: The royal guard is closing my husband’s case.”

Jae-beom and Chae-jin were both caught off guard, but like good royals, they chose to hide their true feelings from their people.

Their mother continued, “They have not found the assassin after two years, and the royal family believes that the guard’s resources could be used elsewhere. We give this announcement with heavy hearts, but also with the good people of the Lim Kingdom in mind.”

The queen talked for a while more and then left the floor to a rather jumbled Jae-beom. He mainly discussed how well the new guard trainees were doing and how fast their military was growing. Next was Chae-jin. She gave updates on the kingdom's economy: crop earnings and trade numbers. Overall, the announcements were lack-luster. In truth, the kingdom had not been very stable since the king’s death.

When the royals were left alone in the great hall once more, Chae-jin said, “This doesn’t feel good, JB.”

He sighed deeply. “I know, CJ. Just remember this is what’s best for the kingdom.”

“Best for the kingdom, or best for you and mother?”

“No! We can’t fight now.”

Chae-jin sprung up from her seat. “I’ve been holding in this fight for the last two years, Jae-beom! I can’t hold it in anymore. We can’t keep acting like nothing happened, like we’re prospering when we’re doing the exact opposite!” 

JB was standing now too. He argued back, “We have to move on, Chae-jin.”

“Yes, I agree! But not like this!”

“Then, how? I don’t see you coming up with any ideas!”

“Well, if you’d LISTEN to me, you’d know I do have one.”

The queen jumped in, “That’s enough! Stop acting like children! You—”

Jae-beom cut off his mother, “Chae-jin is right. Let’s listen.”

Chae-jin felt a warmth in her heart from her brother’s smile. She thought he would be willing to listen, and she was right! All she had to do was cut a few puppet strings off of him first. When he shushed their mother, Chae-jin almost cried with excitement! She pulled herself together and said simply, “An art competition…” It was so quiet, the princess thought she heard crickets. She continued, “Hear me out! What was one of dad’s favorite things? Music! It would be like a celebration of his life!”

Jae-beom nodded and asked,“Okay, CJ, but how would that bring prosperity back into the kingdom?”

Chae-jin smiled, “I’m one step ahead of you, dear brother! We would invite kingdoms from far and wide to join in the competition! They could stay in the castle to see how beautiful our architecture is. Since there would be so many people in the kingdom, our guard would be put to work, our farmers and craftsmen would have more consumers for their items, and we could enter our best artists into the competition!”

Jae-beom was getting excited by the idea as well. He added, “We’d be showing the best of the Lim Dynasty while also honoring our father! Plus, we’d show those other kingdoms that we’re stable, so they won’t try to invade.”

Chae-jin finished by saying, “And to top it all off, you’re going to do what you do best and throw a party, JB! We’ll host a ball to introduce all of the visiting kingdoms and let all of the competitors mingle!”

“I love this idea,” Jae-beom admitted.

The queen sighed. “I will not be a part of this. If you want to have a party in the midst of crisis, then go ahead!” She strutted out of the hall.

Chae-jin couldn’t help but continue smiling. “Start planning tomorrow?” she asked the new king.

He grinned back and grabbed his sister’s hands. “After breakfast meet me in the Green Hall.”

The princess cheered and fled the room with elation, leaving JB in the Great Hall all by himself, until…

“Your Majesty, you wanted to see me?” a nervous Yugyeom entered from across the room.

Jae-beom quickly met him in the middle of the room. “Yes, Yugyeom!” he greeted the boy with a smirk, “I’m sorry to take you away from your training, but I have something important to ask of you.”

Yugyeom questioned worriedly, “What is it, Your Majesty?”

Jae-beom scanned the room and felt uneasy about the amount of open doors around. He placed a hand behind Yugyeom’s back and led him through one of the open doorways. “Let’s go somewhere more private.”

Soon, the king and the guardsman ended their journey in Jae-beom’s nook located in the deserted library. They sat themselves down at his desk surrounded by bookcases. Yugyeom had been sweating the entire time during their silent walk up there. He swallowed hard and asked once more, “What’s wrong, Your Majesty? How can I help you?”

King Jae-beom sighed and leaned back in his chair. He asked, “Did you hear today’s announcements, Yugyeom? You did? Do you remember the one about my father’s case?”

“They’re closing it, right?”

JB nodded and pouted. “That’s correct. Do you know what that means?” He waited a moment for a response that never came. He answered the question himself, “That means that your brother’s case is closing too. I won’t be able to get justice for my father, and you won’t be able to get justice for Mark. Unless…”

Yugyeom was on the edge of his seat. He asked frantically, “Unless what, my king?”

Jae-beom leaned forward. “Unless we open the case again.”

“But you just said—“

“I know what I just said. I mean we as in you and me.”

Yugyeom flopped back in his chair. “Oh,” he reacted simply. “But how would I be able to help? I’m still a trainee.”

“Yes, but you’re almost done. You only have a few days left of training, right? And when you’ve graduated next week, I’ll declare you my new personal guard.”

Yugyeom shot straight up out of his chair. No words were coming to his mind.

Jae-beom furrowed his brow and tilted his head. “Something wrong?”

Yugyeom opened his mouth, and yet still no words came out.

“C’mon, out with it!” JB demanded.

Yugyeom sat back down slowly and said, “I don’t think I’m getting the full picture.”

Jae-beom replied, “Here, I’ll paint the rest of it for you. By becoming my personal guard, you and I would be together almost all day everyday. This would give us an immense amount of time to investigate the murders all while being discreet. You and I would be the only ones to know about the investigation, that is until we catch the assassin. I think—“

“Not even Chae-jin?”

“What?” Jae-beom was not expecting that.

Yugyeom inhaled sharply. “Not even the princess would know? This can’t end well.”

“It’s for her own good, Yugyeom. She had enough to worry about as it is. I don’t want to worry her further.” Jae-beom’s excuse was working on Yugyeom. He continued pressing, “Don’t you want to honor Mark? We can do that by finally finding the killer! And think about how happy Chae-jin will be when she sees you caught her father’s murderer. You’ll solidify your place in this kingdom, and I will be eternally grateful.”

Yugyeom thought for a moment. Many believed that Yugyeom was only in tune with his body, but he was actually very in tune with his mind as well. He thought he wasn’t intelligent because no one ever called him smart. But, now the king himself was asking for his help, and what else could he say? “Yes, Your Majesty. It will be my honor to be your personal guard as well as help you in your investigation. I will keep our secret. I swear it on my brother’s grave.” 

Jae-beom smiled and shook his new guard’s hand. “Thank you, Yugyeom. Now, if you want, you can join me for lunch.”

“Oh, I really should be—“

Jae-beom added, “CJ will be there.”

“You know what? I bet the others are already done eating, so I guess I could join you…”


	4. No Sleep

The princess was too excited to sleep! She had spent the last month and a half preparing the castle for the art competition, and that’s all she could think about now as she laid in her bed the night before the big occasion. In a few short hours, kingdoms from far and wide would descend upon the finely decorated Great Hall, introduce themselves, and enter the tournament of talents. 

Chae-jin and her brother had invited as many kingdoms as the castle could hold. Each and every room was prepared for company. The kitchen was stocked. The extra stables were cleaned out. Some of the secret passageways were sealed off. Chae-jin and Jae-beom created solutions to every single problem they could come up with. Some of the problems were so out there that they would probably never occur in either of their lifetimes, yet they still prepared for them.

The guard had almost doubled in size since they recently graduated many trainees. The various units of the guard were briefed on their duties and responsibilities expected of them for the next few weeks as the competition progressed. Yugyeom had been immediately promoted to the personal guard of King Jae-beom. Many of his fellow trainees were jealous, but they all felt he deserved it. Yugyeom was already close with the royal family, and he was a skilled guardsman especially for his age. But, he deserved it most of all because the king was giving him a chance at finding peace. 

The princess might have been most jealous of all, for Yugyeom used to fantasize about how he would apply to be in her personal guard. She couldn’t wait till he graduated, and they would be able to spend the rest of their days together like when they were younger. Her dreams were crushed on graduation day when Jae-beom announced his new lineup of his personal guardsmen. What made it worse was that she knew that JB knew about their plans. Chae-jin knew there was a reason for his choice, but it killed her that she couldn’t figure out what it was. Because of all the work she put into readying the castle, she could never find the time to sit down and talk it through with her brother.

“He probably wouldn’t listen to me anyway,” Chae-Jin thought. She turned over and murmured into her pillow, “Why am I thinking about this now? I should be excited about tomorrow, not thinking about that!” 

She exhaled heavily, pushed herself out of bed, and strolled over to her mirror. She pointed to herself, made a stern face, and stated, “You are Princess Lim Chae-jin, a strong, independent woman who don’t need no man. Get. It. Together!”

She collapsed into her hands and sighed deeply. A ray of sunshine reflected from the mirror onto her face. She ambled over to her window to witness the gorgeous sunrise. Somehow, the excitement of the day had won the fight against the torment creeping in.

By breakfast, she was completely over her morning sadness. She happily strutted into the dining hall.

“Someone has a pep in their step,” her brother commented with a grin.

Chae-jin gave the king a quick kiss on the cheek before sitting down. “How could I not on a day like this?” she responded. “Make sure you get your fill. We probably won’t get to eat lunch today.”

Jae-beom nodded in agreement.

Suddenly, a guardsman rushed to the table so fast that they knocked over a chair as well as themselves. Neither of the royals moved an inch. The guard struggled to get up off of the floor.

“Good morning, Yugyeom,” JB said nonchalantly as he sipped his drink.

Yugyeom stood the chair upright and sat down. He inhaled and exhaled deeply. “Good morning, Your Majesty...and Your Highness. I apologize for rushing in. I got a little excited. Uhh...oh yeah! The head of the royal guard assures me that everyone is up and ready to take on the day.”

Jae-beom was still focused on his food. He replied, “Okay, great, now stop talking. Here, eat a muffin.” The king chucked a muffin at the young guard.

Without a word, Chae-jin got up and poured Yugyeom a tall glass of chocolate milk. Yes, she was on uneasy terms with him, but Yugyeom was still one of her best friends. He looked up and tried to thank her, but Jae-beom threw another muffin at him before he could get the words out. This made this princess giggle, but she tried to hide it from the boys. She grabbed a croissant for later and left the table.

“You’re honestly the worst sometimes, Your Majesty,” Yugyeom growled when Chae-jin was out of ear shot.

“I know. Now, what was the thing that actually excited you?”

He leaned forward and looked around the room.

Before Yugyeom could say anything, Jae-beom rolled his eyes and stated, “I’m the only one listening, and if you keep me waiting I won’t be for much longer.”

Yugyeom rolled his eyes too and said, “Okay, okay! So, I was going through Mark’s old journals again last night because I was kind of sad and couldn’t sleep. Anyways, I found one particular entry—“

“Is this entry just as useless as the last one?”

“Probably, but—“

“Then, I don’t want to hear it Yugyeom. Although, that does remind me. I want to put a hold on our investigation, only until after CJ’s event. I want to be completely focused, and I need you to be focused as well.”

“Why?”

“First of all, you should always be focused. And second of all, you’re my personal guard, I don’t want to die because you were distracted by a foreign assassin with a suspicious abundance of chocolate milk.”

* * *

While the Lim Dynasty had been struggling for the past few years, Prince Jackson Wang, or should I say, King Jackson of the Exiles, was thriving. He managed to catch up to BamBam near the country’s border on that fateful fall night. The duo rode together into the Ahgase Mountains. There they discovered an abandoned village that BamBam had heard about as a kid. This was their new home. They named it, Exile. 

At the beginning, it was just the two of them, making it up as they went along. Then, BamBam discovered on one of his discreet trips to a nearby trade hub that there were others in their exact position. The thought of others being treated as unfairly as BamBam infuriated Jackson. He invited these troubled souls to their home. He always explained to them how tough it was in the mountains, but each and every time the people agreed to join them, agreed to become Exiles. This empowered Jackson to advertise. If a few people wanted to join him even with the risks, he wondered how many more would if they only knew Exile existed. The Snake was sent to kingdom after kingdom, city after city, to spread the word of the new Kingdom of Exile. The only place Jackson didn’t allow BamBam to go was Wang territory, for there was a bounty on his head if he ever entered the country again. Nonetheless, Bam somehow still managed to spread the word beyond that border. The word was that Exile accepted people from all over. And if these people didn’t accept Jackson as their king, they were simply asked to not come in the first place. Exile was a new beginning for anyone that wanted one. And to Jackson’s surprise, there was a lot of people that wanted one. 

Speaking of beginnings, King Jackson was enjoying the beginning of his day lying in bed. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. This seemed familiar. He scooted out of bed, adorned his robe, and opened the door.

“You really are always up with the sun,” Jackson giggled. He opened the door wider and invited the early knocker inside.

A finely dressed soldier entered the room. He stood in front of the king with a note in hand. “Good morning, Your Grace,” he greeted Jackson. The soldier bowed and handed the envelope to the royal, “There was a messenger waiting early this morning. They’ve brought a letter for you.”

“Thank you, Jinyoung,” Jackson replied through a yawn. He studied the seal on the front. “Who is it from? Here, read it to me please. I can’t keep my eyes open. I didn’t get any sleep last night.” Jackson flopped back onto his bed.

Jinyoung moved in so he could stand right next to the sleepy king. He answered softly, “The Lim Dynasty. The messenger said it was about a music competition. Apparently, kingdoms from all over have been invited to attend.”

“I can’t go to a random event at a time like this. We’ll be preparing for winter soon! I don’t even know where the Lim Kingdom is.”

Jinyoung’s voice was steady. “You know how far Chungha territory is from here? It’s about the same distance, but east instead of west. Their kingdom is known for their love of the arts. I hear it’s very beautiful there this time of year.”

“Are you trying to convince me to go?”

“I’m only showing you that it is an option, Your Grace. We are very capable people. Work would continue regularly if you decided to go.”

Jackson groaned, “What’s this ‘we’! How could you not think I wouldn’t take you with me?”

Jinyoung grinned. “I’m honored you’d say that, my king, but someone has to look after everything while you’re gone.”

“That’s what Bam is for.” Jackson stood back up and poked Jinyoung in the chest. “You’re job is to protect me, to stay by my side at all times. Send a message back that the Kingdom of Exiles will be attending.”

Jinyoung swallowed hard and found his mouth unusually dry. He tried to continue the conversation just as confidently as before, “Now you have to choose who we’ll take to compete.”

Jackson slumped and scratched his head. “Oh...right.”

“They’re looking for ‘strong vocalists, instrumentalists, and dancers that would like to show off their talents as well as compete amongst others for a grand prize’. Might I suggest taking young Lucas and Lisa? You don’t really know any of your subjects' backgrounds since Exile is about new beginnings, but I know that those two never stop rapping nonsense and dancing like fools when they’re supposed to be focusing on training.”

Jackson laughed. He loved his trainees and their youthful spirits. “Good idea, Jinyoung. I think those two would benefit from some traveling. That reminds me! Wonpil finally fixed the piano in that house down by the stream. We should invite him to come as well. I’ve heard him play.”

“Magnificent, isn’t it?”

“Truly. I know we’re a small nation, but I bet, with some hard work, we could stand out in this tournament. This will be the perfect opportunity to show the other kingdoms how their Exiles are flourishing! Jinyoung, please send someone to fetch me my new contestants. Once they’ve agreed, I’ll make an announcement to the rest of the tribe. We’re going to the Lim Kingdom!”


	5. Let's Get This Party Started!

Chae-jin sat comfortably at her vanity as two of her ladies in waiting rotated around and around her, prepping their princess for the night’s special occasion. One of her other assistants entered the room.

Chae-jin greeted her without even turning her head. “Ah, Jeongyeon! Do you have a good report for me?”

Jeongyeon replied joyfully, “Nothing but, Your Highness!” The assistant flipped through a small leather bound book. She stood behind the princess so they could see each other in the mirror and began her report, “Almost all of the kingdoms that chose to accept the invitation have arrived. Everyone is getting ready for tonight’s festivities as we speak. And, might I say, Your Highness is looking lovely already. And, might I ask, will we see Your Highness dance tonight at the ball?”

Everyone in the room froze, waiting to hear the princess’s response.

Chae-jin shrugged. “Only if I find the right partner,” she answered, a hint of sorrow in her voice. She quickly tried to perk herself up and asked, “Would you dance with me, Jeongyeon?”

Her assistant nodded rapidly. “I’m nowhere near as skilled as you, Your Highness, but if you asked me I wouldn’t be able to say no!”

Giggles erupted from everyone in the room. Chae-jin jumped up from her chair, took Jeongyeon’s hand, and spun her around like a ballerina. The makeup and hair artists pleaded for the princess to come back to her seat. She obeyed their wishes with a small pout on her face.

* * *

“Where are they?” Yugyeom growled to himself as he checked his watch for the fifth time in the last two minutes. “They should be here by now.”

His fellow guard on duty said, “They’re royals, rookie. They’re never on time...especially the princess.”

Yugyeom grabbed his partner harshly and said to him, “Don’t talk about her that way!” He quickly let go and fixed his partner’s uniform. “I’m sorry, Taemin. This is really my first big event on the job. I’m a little on edge.”

Taemin swatted Yugyeom’s hands away. “Yeah, I can tell. Just chill out, kid. Everything will be fine.”

Just as they had finished their short conversation, the entire ballroom went silent. Everyone turned their heads to the second floor entrance above the grand staircase where the royal crier stepped out of the double doors and announced to the guests down below, “Ladies and gentlemen, I have the pleasure of introducing our visiting royals this evening. So, without further ado, and in no particular order…”

The crier’s voice boomed throughout the room. Once he’d introduce a kingdom, their rulers would stroll down the staircase, cross the dance floor, and end up seated on a small throne made just for them. The thrones were located along a platform that surrounded the room. Soon, only three chairs remained empty.

“Last but not least,” the crier gained everyone’s attention once more, “It is my honor to introduce Her Eminence, Queen Lim Eun!” The queen was escorted down the stairs by a few royal guardsmen.

Yugyeom thought to himself, “I may not be in Jinnie’s personal guard, but at least I’m not in hers.”

The crier continued, “Her Highness, Princess Lim Chae-jin!”

Yugyeom felt his heart flutter as he witnessed Chae-jin glide down the stairs like a true princess. Her ladies in waiting followed close behind. The princess’s dress was perfect for the season. Her bust was covered in autumnal flowers of red, orange, and yellow hues. The flowers flowed into the deep red of the rest of the dress. The princess’s favorite part of her outfit were the velvet long sleeves and poofy skirt. Yugyeom’s favorite part of her outfit was her smile.

His guard partner snapped his fingers in front of Yugyeom’s face and whispered, “Stop drooling before she gets over here, loverboy.”

The crier sounded for the last time, “His Majesty, King Lim Jae-beom!”

Jae-beom wore a long velvet coat that matched the deep red of his sister’s dress. A red fabric leaf earring dangled from his left ear. Across the floor, Yugyeom spotted a few girls swooning over his king’s voluminous hair. 

As King Jae-beom descended the stairs, he addressed the people merrily. “Good evening!” he said, “Thank you all for joining us this evening and joining us for the Festival of Talents! Over the next few weeks we will be holding a tournament to award the best performers in all of the land. All in honor of my late father. My mother, Queen Eun, will serve as the judge and will be awarding points to competitors during the tournament. The competition begins now! Let’s get this party started!”

The ballroom roared with excitement and praise. The band began to play joyful music that filled the room. Yugyeom noticed Jae-beom’s mother held her face in her hands. What he didn’t know was that she was questioning where she went wrong with her son. What possessed her son to say, “let’s get this party started”? 

Yugyeom’s concentration snapped back to his king. Jae-beom had stopped to talk to someone on the dance floor. He then took a detour to get a drink from a servant. Yugyeom watched every move his king made. After a few minutes, the focused guard drifted over to JB’s side.

“Your Majesty, I’m not sure if anyone else has, but I have caught you staring,” Yugyeom stated plainly to Jae-beom. “Now, I’m not sure what you’re looking at, but—”

“I think that’s Park Jinyoung,” JB said pointing to the other side of the dance floor. He quickly retracted his hand so this Jinyoung wouldn't notice.

Yugyeom lost his train of thought completely.

JB continued, “In fact, I know it is.” He downed the rest of his drink and grabbed another full glass.

“That’s King Jackson’s throne. How did Jinyoung end up with him? How did Jinyoung end up in Exile?” Yugyeom wondered.

JB ignored his comment. “He has the audacity to show his face here?”

“Wow, we are on two very different brainwaves.”

“After all of these years!”

“Are you even listening?”

“Of all times! Now?”

“And you’re still going…” Yugyeom sighed and returned to minding his own business.

-

On the opposite side of the ballroom, another one sided conversation was occurring.

“My king, you must stop,” Jinyoung pleaded through laughter to the man seated in the throne beside him.

King Jackson was being dramatic as ever. “Never!” he said to his devoted guardsman, “You’re so tense, Jinyoung! We’re at a party, for goodness sake, loosen up! Go have a drink or something!”

Jinyoung chuckled lightly. “You can’t get rid of me that easily, Your Grace.”

Jackson stood up and swung an arm around Jinyoung’s shoulders. He sighed, looked to the floor and asked his friend, “Why did I think bringing the most stubborn person I know to a party was a good idea?”

Jinyoung chuckled again. His eyes almost disappeared completely behind his smile. Jackson loved to see this, so he always did what he could to make his soldier laugh. Jinyoung somehow always fell into his king’s trap.

Just then, the princess Lim Chae-jin entered the scene. She gracefully stepped up to King Jackson, who, at the moment, still had his head pointed to the ground. Jinyoung gave his king a gentle shove with his elbow signaling the princess’s presence.

Jackson met the cheerful girl’s gaze. “Well, hello there,” he said as he straightened himself. “Why, it’s the beautiful Princess Chae-jin,” he complimented her smoothly, took her hand and kissed it lightly.

Chae-jin curtsied to Jackson and Jinyoung. She replied, “Thank you very much, King Jackson. The color of your suit is very flattering on you, but I’m sad to not see one of your beautiful furs accompanying it.”

Jackson let out a giggle. (Chae-Jin was not expecting the King of Exiles to giggle.) He said, “I would get too hot in one of my furs! You know, with all of the people...all of the drinking...all of the dancing—“

“You dance?” Chae-jin asked, full of excitement.

“On second thought maybe I should go and get a fur,” Jackson joked. He thought for a moment and came up with a mischievous idea. “You know, I may not be great on my feet,” he stated, “but I think I know someone who is!”

“Oh, yeah?” The princess asked. She acted curious to inflate the king, but she already knew what he was going to suggest.

Jinyoung thought to himself, “Oh no,” for he already knew what was about to be suggested as well.

Jackson slammed his hand down on his guard’s shoulder. Jinyoung didn’t even wince. The king said happily, “This man right here is an excellent dancer.”

Jinyoung began his counter attack. “Your Grace, I should stay by your side.”

Jackson looked at his servant with a smirk and responded, “So, you are a good dancer! You didn’t even deny it! Now I have to see your skills in action. Go on, and show the lovely princess a night just as lovely as she is.” Jackson winked at Chae-Jin with his last statement.

“But, my, king—“

“Do you see how many people are in here? Nothing is going to happen to me while you’re gone. Now, go!” Jackson shoved Jinyoung towards the princess.

Jinyoung anxiously chuckled, straightened himself, and finally said to Chae-jin, “It would be an honor to share a dance with you, Your Highness.”

Chae-jin smiled and said, “The honor is all mine, Sir Park Jinyoung.” 

She took her new partner’s arm, and together they strode down to the ballroom floor. Just as they stepped into the crowd, a new song began to play. The partners bowed to each other and began dancing.

Chae-jin decided to mention, “Just so you know, you are no stranger to me Park Jinyoung.”

Her partner nodded with a grin. “Noted,” he responded. “And just so you know, I wasn’t deflecting my king’s proposal to dance because I didn’t want to do, I—“

“Wanted to protect your king? I completely understand. But, he was right. Everyone is too busy partying to do anything vile.”

Jinyoung was in agreement. It was hard to disagree with the princess.

-

“What’s CJ doing talking to those-those...Exiles!” Jae-beom raged.

Yugyeom turned around to console his king. He sighed, “C’mon Jae-beom calm down.”

“Now she’s dancing with Jinyoung?”

Yugyeom spun around and exclaimed, “What!” a little too loudly. 

Now both of the boys were watching Chae-jin and Jinyoung float effortlessly across the ballroom floor. Some of the other party guests started to stare at the couple as well. The boys didn’t want to admit to each other how great they looked dancing. Jae-beom was too angry at Jinyoung for coming back unannounced, and Yugyeom was too jealous that Jinyoung was dancing with Chae-jin.


	6. Everybody Knows Park Jinyoung

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tweaked part of the beginning dialogue between JB and Jinyoung!

In another corner of the room, King Jackson was leaning against a wall, stirring a bubbly drink in his hand. He was also watching the dancing duo with a smirk plastered across his face. It’s not how he thought he’d get rid of Jinyoung, but it worked nonetheless. Plus, the shy guardsman seemed to be enjoying himself which made Jackson even happier. 

“You called?” a sudden voice murmured mischievously behind the king.

Jackson jumped slightly and growled, “Bam, you little sneak!”

BamBam fully revealed himself and took his king’s side against the wall. The Snake was dressed in an olive suit complete with colored contacts, a black mask covering the bottom half of his face, and just the right amount of shiny jewelry. BamBam had an outfit for every occasion.

He shrugged and responded to his king, “It's what I do best.”

Jackson sighed and rubbed his temples. He said, “I hope I’m the only one you’ve been sneaking up on lately. You are keeping out of trouble, aren’t you? I can’t be worrying about you while I’m here. Wait a minute, if you’re here, then...who’s running the country!” Jackson was squeezing BamBam’s arms to his sides.

Bam flailed one of his arms limply and replied, “Don’t worry, my king! I left Namjoon in charge until I get back.” 

Jackson was pleased with that answer and released the boy. He mumbled to himself, “I honestly should’ve just left him in charge in the first pla—”

BamBam noticed something behind Jackson. “Ooo! Who’s this fine young lady prancing around with our Jinyoung? Ooo! And now there’s multiple ladies. They all look pretty chummy.”

Jackson answered seriously. “That’s Princess Chae-jin, Lim Chae-jin.”

BamBam slumped back against the wall. “Oh.” He tried to keep his good spirits up. “Well, she looks stunning! Not to mention, Jinyoung looks great too. I’m glad I didn't—”

Jackson stopped him from saying anything more. “No. That’s in the past. Don’t even say it...especially here.”

BamBam meekly nodded in agreement.

Jackson relaxed. “I’m glad you found the time to stop in before returning to Exile. I miss hanging out with you, Bam.”

“Anything for you, Jack. Now enough reminiscing! Let's get drunk and bother Jinyoung.”

Jackson let out a hearty laugh and pointed to his glass, “I’m way ahead of you!”

-

“That’s it! I’m going over there!” Jae-beom decided in a rage. He downed his third drink but did not pick up a fourth.

Yugyeom slid in front of his king and put his hands on his chest. He quickly realized this was a bad move and returned his arms to his side. He said, “Jae-beom, you should cool down first.” 

“That’s Your Majesty to you!”

Yugyeom sharply inhaled and closed his eyes for a moment. He pondered what to do. Finally he asked, “Why are you so angry right now? Why are you so mad at Park Jinyoung?”

JB snapped, “It's a long, personal story.”

“I’ve got time to listen if you’ve got time to spill.”

“That’s enough out of you, Yugyeom. I’m docking your pay,” Jae-beom declared before storming off onto the dance floor. 

Yugyeom groaned, “Not again!” then swiftly followed after him.

-

Chae-jin decided to introduce Jinyoung to her ladies in waiting.

“Jeongyeon, Chaeyoung, and Mina, this is Sir Park Jinyoung from the Kingdom of Exile.”

Jeongyeon said, “Park Jinyoung? I haven’t seen you for centuries!” 

Chae-jin was surprised. “You know each other?”

All three of the girls nodded. Mina answered, “Jinyoung was in the royal guard with all of our siblings!”

The princess went red with embarrassment. “Oh, I’m sorry! I was introducing you and you already knew each other!”

Jinyoung gently squeezed Chae-jin’s arm wrapped around his own. “It’s perfectly fine, princess. You didn’t know any different.” He carried on the conversation, “How are you ladies doing? How are your brothers and sisters?”

“Just as rowdy as ever,” Chaeyoung responded.

Chae-jin teased, “Who? You or your brother?”

In the midst of the group laughing at the princess’s clever quip, Jinyoung felt someone brush past him. This was to be expected as they were on a crowded dance floor in between songs. But this encounter was different. Someone had planted a piece of paper in his hand resting at his side. When he looked around, it was clear the sender was long gone. He opened the note:

**Meet me around the corridor when you have a minute?**

****

****

**JB**

Jinyoung felt a shiver run down his spine. 

-

Yugyeom was aware of what was happening. It had never happened before, and he thought he and the king were close enough that it wouldn’t ever...but here he was chasing around Jae-beom. The king was clearly trying to lose his guardsman in the sea of party-goers, so Yugyeom decided to play his king’s game. He made Jae-beom think he had won. Yugyeom watched from afar as the royal left the ballroom through the west exit. Yugyeom ascended the staircase, casually as to not attract any unnecessary attention, and quietly snuck down the second floor hallway. The guard descended a different set of stairs and soon was on the opposite side of the corridor as the king.

“Aha! Mouse caught!” Yugyeom whispered to himself as he rounded the corner ready to scream what he just whispered. 

Then, something unexpected happened. Well, two unexpected things. First, Yugyeom saw a glimpse of another person rounding the opposite corner. Second, one hand reached over Yugyeom’s face to cover his mouth, and then another pulled him around the corner. 

The guard didn’t even have to struggle to get away; his captor simply let go. Yugyeom took a good look at him. The captor held his finger to his lips to signal Yugyeom to be quiet.

“How did you get your hand over my mouth?” Yugyeom asked, “You’re so tiny.”

The captor looked dumbfounded. He replied, “That’s all you could think to ask? Not, ‘what are you doing here’ or ‘who are you’?”

Yugyeom nodded. He was embarrassed for only a moment. He kneeled down by the side of the wall where the stranger was. Yugyeom was tall enough to look over his head and down the hallway.

Yugyeom murmured, “So...what are you doing here and who are you?”

The stranger slightly chuckled. He answered, “I’m spying on Jinyoung. You can call me Bam.”

“That’s funny.”

“What’s funny?”

“I’m spying on Jae-beom. Oh! And my name’s Yugyeom.”

BamBam reached his hand behind him to shake the guard’s hand. “Pleasure to meet you. You’re the king’s guard right? Why don’t you just go over there instead of hiding out over here?”

“He’s been trying to lose me all night. He clearly wants some privacy.”

“And yet, here we are.”

Both of the boys giggled. The two being spied on shot a look down the hall. The spies flew behind the corner before they even noticed, still giggling.

-

“Did you hear that?” Jae-beom asked as he whipped his head down the hall.

“Stop trying to distract me!” Jinyoung barked.

“I’m not--”

“Jae-beom, I am leaving. You did not see me. Don’t tell anyone I’m here, especially, your mother.”

“My mo...why?!” Jae-beom grabbed onto the guard’s arm and pulled him back. “Jinyoung, you’re being ridiculous!” he said more sternly, “If you really wanted to be incognito, maybe you shouldn’t have been all over my sister.”

Jinyoung pulled his arm away from the king’s grasp, face full of disgust. “Why would you say such a thing, Jae-beom?”

Jae-beom’s face turned red. He managed to say, “I am ashamed...that was uncalled for.”

“And untrue, you might add,” Jinyoung jabbed.

Jae-beom had to look away. “...yes,” he finally admitted. “I apologize for the burst of...spite. But, you do have to understand how I’m feeling right now. It-It’s been a long time without seeing you, Jinyoung. I…” he stopped a moment to think then continued, “Why-”

“No,” Jinyoung quickly cut him off. “I can’t tell you that.”

The king pressed nonetheless. “You left without telling anyone! Without telling me!”

Jinyoung’s eyes shot down to the floor and he turned away. Jae-beom eyes were now piercing through his skin to his soul. He felt if he looked Jae-beom any longer, he’d die. He responded meekly, “I had to.”

Jae-beom continued, “I needed you...and you weren’t there. Just please...please tell me...why...what was so important? I have to know! What was more important than me?” He gently laid a hand on Jinyoung’s shoulder.

The guard knew he had to look the king in the eyes when he said, “I can’t tell you. I’m sorry, Jae-beom.”

-

“This seems like a sticky situation, Yugyeom,” BamBam whispered.

Yugyeom whined, “How can you tell? I haven’t been able to hear a thing!” 

BamBam smirked, “I’ll fill you in later. But, right now, I need to get Jinyoung out of there.” Bam stood up and instructed Yugyeom to do the same. “I’m going to pretend I’m drunk okay? I’ll be all clingy to you, and then I’ll cling right onto Jinyoung! You just pretend like you’ve been looking for Jinyoung...but you don’t know if it’s him?”

“But, I do know it’s him.”

BamBam thought for a moment. He clicked his tongue and swatted the air. “Don’t worry, “ he reassured Yugyeom, “you’ll do fine!”

-

Jae-beom wasn’t sure if he was angry or just sad. He asked, “Why not? Why can’t you tell me?”

Jinyoung huffed, “It would cause more trouble than it’s worth…”

“I have enough problems as it is, you might as well just lay a couple more on me!”

“Exactly! You have too many responsibilities as king to worry about.”

“Oh? It’s because I’m a king now? I’ll give you my crown. I’ll give you anything! Just tell me—“

Jae-beom stopped talking as soon as he noticed Jinyoung looked alarmed. He turned around.

“Oh! Hey, Your Majesty!” Yugyeom greeted his king happily. “And I hope you’re the Jinyoung that Bam just won’t stop talking about. Good to see you after so long.”

“Jinyoungie!” BamBam cheered as he launched himself off of Yugyeom and on to the guardsman.

“I guess you are the Jinyoung!” Yugyeom nervously laughed.

Jinyoung was incredibly annoyed and relieved at the same time. He smiled normally and said, “Thank you for bringing him to me, Yugyeom. I’ll get him where he needs to be. It was nice talking to you, Your Majesty. Have a good rest of you night, both of you.” He bowed to them both. 

BamBam saw this as his opportunity. He hopped on Jinyoung’s back and cheered, “Piggyback ride!” 

The two Exiles trudged across the castle to BamBam’s home for his stay. Jinyoung was glad everyone was still at the party, so no one was in the hallway to witness his struggle.

When they reached the room, Jinyoung threw BamBam onto his lavish new bed.

“Jinyoungie,” BamBam was impersonating a baby now, “Will you stay with me...just until I fall asleep?”

The guard put his hands on his hips, frowned, and demanded, “Cut the crap. Why did you do that?”

BamBam played dumb. “Do what?” He reached out his arms. “...hug?”

Jinyoung immediately smacked Bam’s grabby hands away. “I have to admit, you’re a pretty great actor. But, we both know that if you were really drunk you would be glued to the ballroom floor, showing all of the attendees your embarrassing, so embarrassing, drunk dance moves. So, what’s up? Why did you interrupt my conversation?”

“You were cheating!” BamBam dramatically dropped his jaw and gasped. “I couldn’t let you mingle with another king behind Jackson’s back! Not on my watch! You should be faith—”

Jinyoung had grabbed a pillow in the midst of the boy’s speech. It was now covering Bam’s mouth, not firmly enough to suffocate him, but just firm enough to get him to stop talking. Jinyoung was surprised that he didn’t even struggle, BamBam just took it. It made Jinyoung think that someone had done it to him before, maybe a few times.

The guardsman said, “I’m going to take this off, and when I do, I want to know the real reason.” BamBam nodded, and Jinyoung followed through. He watched the boy for an answer.

Bam shrugged. “It looked like you were in trouble. I decided to bail a friend out.”

Jinyoung felt a bit of guilt cut through him. BamBam’s answer seemed genuine and now Jinyoung seemed like a bad guy. He sat next to Bam on the bed and sighed. “I’m sorry for getting angry with you.” He softly chuckled as he played with the pillow. “In actuality, you probably did me a favor.”

Bam grinned. “Ahhh! See! I knew you were floundering out there. What’s going on? I told you the truth, now it’s your turn, mister strong, scary soldier.”

“King Jae-beom and I have a past that’s all.”

“That’s mysterious as hell, dude. Care to elaborate?”

“No, it’s past your bedtime.” Jinyoung stood up and began tucking BamBam in against his will.

“Exactly!” Bam exclaimed, “Perfect time for a story!”

When Jinyoung didn’t react, BamBam sighed and stated, “You know if you don’t tell me, I’m going to investigate.”

“Aww, my little detective,” Jinyoung cooed and squished the boy’s cheek. He then made his way to the door.

BamBam shot up in bed. “Wait!” He cried. “Just promise me one thing.”

Jinyoung turned around. “What?”

“Just let Jackson have the night to himself.”

Jinyoung pondered for a minute. He nodded and said softly, “Alright. Good night, sleep well.”

“Good night...Jingyoungie!”

BamBam giggled to himself as the guardsman shut the door with a soft thud and traveled back to the ballroom, keeping Bam’s request in mind.


	7. A Rough Start to the Day

The next morning, all of the royals were invited to breakfast with King Jae-beom. Those who could wake up after the long night attended. Jinyoung purposely did not awaken his king because one, hungover King Jackson was even harder to handle than drunk King Jackson, and two, Jinyoung knew he wouldn’t be able to keep it together in front of Jae-beom on only a couple hours of sleep. However, his king had different plans for him. When Jinyoung knocked on Jackson’s door and entered, he found Jackson and BamBam both dressed and peppy.

Jinyoung cleared his throat slightly and attempted to sound well-rested. He said, “Good morning, Your Grace. Good morning, BamBam.”

BamBam cheered, “Jinyoungie!” and grabbed hold of him.

“Please don’t make this a regular thing,” Jinyoung pleaded as he pried the boy off of him. “Are you ready to go?”

Jackson nodded, his poofy hair bouncing. He was known to be rather speechless in the morning. The trio trudged down to the dining hall together.

“How did we not get lost?” BamBam questioned Jinyoung suspiciously, “How did you know where we were supposed to go? We’ve only been here a day...”

Jinyoung replied plainly, “I know everything.” He grabbed the door for BamBam and Jackson. BamBam made a face at Jinyoung as he passed through. 

The king stood by his guardsman for a second to take a deep breath. Once he stepped into the room, the charm was automatically turned on. He greeted everyone kindly that was sitting around the table. Jackson had met many different people from all different nations during his time as a prince in the Wang Dynasty. His parents gave him a lot of free time, so he’d travel often. He recognized many people around the table, so it was even easier to be conversational. The amiable king even went up to each of the guardsmen and wished them a good morning. Jinyoung stayed close to Jackson as he did this, but BamBam sat himself at the table eager to dig in. When Jackson’s hunger out weighed his joy of talking, he sat down as well. Jinyoung retreated back to the wall where the rest of the soldiers were posted.

He looked over his shoulder briefly and realized who he was standing next to. Without looking at him, Jinyoung asked, “How are you this morning, Yugyeom?

Yugyeom was unsettled. He didn’t think Jinyoung would want to talk to him. He could hardly find the words. “Ummm, I’m doing well?”

“Are you sure?” Jinyoung sounded amused, “You don’t seem too confident in your answer.”

Yugyeom pouted, “You’re right. Honestly, I could be doing better.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. Anything I can do to help?”

“Stay away from the princess.”

Let’s just say that’s not what Jinyoung was expecting to hear. He took a moment to recollect his thoughts. He finally said, “I’m sorry if I offended you. That wasn’t my intention.”

Yugyeom sighed deeply. “I shouldn’t have said that. Nothing you could do would offend me, Jinyoung. I’m just going through it at the moment.”

“I’m here if you need anything, although, I’ll probably be a little busy. I’m the only guard that came to watch over King Jackson.”

“Really? What about those other two I saw with you guys?” Yugyeom’s curiosity slowly grew stronger

Jinyoung replied, “Oh, right. Those are my new trainees, Lucas and Lisa. They’re great kids...when they’re not together.”

“It seems we’ve both got handfuls. King Jae-beom is driving me up the wall.”

“Yes. I’m sure he’s been very stressed because of the festival, hmm?”

“Yeah, but something else seems to be bothering him too. He said he regretted sending out invitations to breakfast this morning...very strange considering that two nights ago as he was writing the invitations, he was very excited. I think he really wanted to meet all the other royals since his mother hasn’t let him out of the kingdom since her husband’s death. Which doesn’t make much sense now that I think about it since Jae-beom’s father was killed within the kingdom and—”

Jinyoung cut off Yugyeom’s rabbling, “Maybe he felt unwell this morning, and that’s why he regretted it. Did you ask?”

“Hmmm...no, but—”

“Yugyeom, word of advice, you are probably the very first person your king sees in the morning. This means that you are the first one to check up on him and make sure he is doing well. As a guard you have to protect your royal from outside sources, but also from inside sources, such as their own downfall. If he is sick, he may be putting himself and others in danger, especially, if he overworks himself.”

Yugyeom nodded. “I never thought of it like that before. But, I don’t think my king is unwell. I’ve been spending almost all my days with him, so I’ve picked up the signs of a sick Jae-beom.” Yugyeom leaned in and whispered, “He gets really whiny.”  
Jinyoung snickered a little too loudly. He shifted back to a serious guard in a snap.

Yugyeom continued after a moment, “Yep. Not sick. I think it’s a person or a group of people that’s bothering him.”

The hair stood up on the back of Jinyoung’s neck.

“My hypothesis is that my king spotted someone at the ball last night that he wished he did not.”

Jinyoung felt that person was him. He tried to play it cool. “We all have people like that.”

Yugyeom chuckled. “You’ve got that right! In fact…” the boy continued to talk Jinyoung’s ear off, but Jinyoung couldn’t find the energy to interrupt him anymore.

-

At the table, BamBam slurped some warm soup as Jackson sipped some hot oolong tea. They were both amazed at how their tablemate, King Jae-beom, could take such big bites of his breakfast. Not wanting to be rude guests, they made sure they did not stare for long. 

To busy his eyes, BamBam fished a long piece of paper out of his bag and unfolded it.

Jackson looked over and asked, “What are you reading?”

BamBam showed him. “It’s a newspaper I grabbed from a Stay in the Stray Kids territory. They always seem to know what’s going on.”

Jackson nabbed the paper from him. “Ooo! Anything good?”

“How would I know? You didn’t even give me a chance to read the first headline.”

Princess Chae-jin was sitting across the table from the Exiles, right next to her brother. She entered the conversation. “You can read that?” she asked.

Jackson kept reading as BamBam answered, “King Jackson and I know many languages. We used to travel a lot, so we’d pick them up along the way.”

King Jackson nudged his fellow Exile and pointed to a page in the newspaper. “Snake spotted,” he said with a grin. He whispered in Bam’s ear, “You’re getting clumsy.”

BamBam murmured back, “Pfft. I’ve gotta keep them entertained, otherwise I’ll lose my spark.”

Jackson was pleased with that answer and read on.

Jae-beom was curious about a previous statement. “Used to? Do you not travel anymore?”

“Well, being the active ambassador I am, I travel quite frequently. But, King Jackson is too busy at home nowadays to come with me. Jokes on him though, he’s the one who gets stuck with Jinyoung.”

“Ahh, yes Jinyoung!” Chae-jin smiled. “Isn’t it nice to have him back, Jae-beom?”

A sly grin formed across BamBam’s face. “Back?”

Jackson was worried about his friend’s expression (the Snake’s grin never led to anything good), but he was equally curious.

Chae-jin was confused. She asked, “Did you not know he was from the Lim Kingdom?’

BamBam’s smile grew wider. His investigation had begun.

Before Bam could get another word out, Jackson stated, “No. It’s a law in the Kingdom of Exile that we do not ask of each other’s pasts, unless permission is given. It allows us to be free of prejudice. It allows everyone to have a fresh start.”

“Ah, yes. I’ve read about your laws,” Jae-beom responded.

Jae-beom’s tone was off putting to Jackson, and it made Bam uneasy. They knew when they weren’t wanted, so they stood to leave.

“Where are you going!” the princess halted them. “Stay for a little while longer? How about this ‘snake spotted’? What’s that about?”

Jackson looked to BamBam with a face that said, “Well, crap. How are we going to get out of this one?”

BamBam looked back with, “I’ve got this.”

The two Exiles sat back down. Jackson poured himself another cup of tea as BamBam controlled the conversation.

He said, “The Snake is a criminal that is often spotted but has never been captured. He’s always...slithered himself out of dangerous situations.”

Jae-beom rolled his eyes and turned towards his sister. “This ‘Snake’ is just a hoax. Don’t let them scare you.”

The princess ripped her brother’s hand away from her own. “I’m not scared!” she proclaimed, “I’m interested! Tell me more, Ambassador BamBam.”

Jackson lightly kicked BamBam under the table. This was his cue to wrap it up. 

BamBam sighed heavily. “Maybe another time, princess. King Jackson and I have some business to attend to.”

“Of course,” Chae-jin replied with a tinge of disappointment in her voice.

BamBam nabbed the paper from his king and handed it to the princess with a smile. “In the meantime, you can have this!”

Chae-jin’s eyes sparkled with delight. “Thank you!” she cheered, “Oh, and have a good rest of your day.” 

King Jackson and his ambassador bowed to Princess Chae-jin and King Jae-beom. Jackson said, “You as well, princess.”

Chae-jin watched as the Exiles glided to the door. She noticed Jinyoung and Jinyoung noticed her. She smiled and waved. Jinyoung returned the favor with a small yet sincere grin. Jinyoung accidentally glanced over to her brother. Their eyes locked and—

“Jinyoung!” someone barked from the hallway.

The guardsman swiftly saw his leave.


	8. The Spark

Sir Park Jinyoung guided his young trainees, Lucas and Lisa, and his musician friend, Wonpil, through the Lim castle. Nothing had really changed in the couple of years Jinyoung had been away. Soon, he found the room he was looking for. The wide double doors were open and welcoming. The group stepped in. There was a large crowd of people gathered inside. One side seemed to be predominantly uniformed guards from the different kingdoms while the other side was dominated by what Jinyoung guessed were the competing musicians. 

Yugyeom spotted Jinyoung from across the room. He rushed to greet him. “I’m glad you could make it!” Yugyeom had mentioned to Jinyoung earlier that while the foreign royals held a meeting in the Great Hall, the foreign competitors and guardsmen decided to throw a get together of their own in one of the ballrooms. 

“Hi there, mister!” Lucas greeted Yugyeom with his signature large grin and outstretched hand. 

“I’m Lucas. I’m a guard trainee for King Jackson! And I’m a rapper!” He struck a hip hop pose.  
“And a dancer!”

Before Lucas could show off his moves, Lisa shoved him out of the way. She said, “I’m a rapper too, and a better dancer! The name’s Lisa, don’t forget it!”

Yugyeom smiled and said, “That’s awesome, you two! There’s some other guard trainees your age over there if you want to go and meet them.”

The children’s eyes lit up. They looked up to Jinyoung for the nod of approval. He granted it. The two kids ran away in the direction that Yugyeom had pointed to.

Yugyeom watched them go and then turned back. “And you are…?”

“Oh! I’m Wonpil,” he said meekly, “I’m a singer, and I play the piano.”

Yugyeom shook his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Wonpil. I’m afraid I’m going to steal Jinyoung from you, but there’s plenty of people that could talk about music all day standing right over there. Just tell them Gyeom sent you!”

Wonpil had a sparkle in his eye. He was shy, but really wanted to meet some fellow instrumentalists. “Thank you...nice to meet you,” he said before departing. 

Jinyoung had met Wonpil just before entering the Kingdom of Exile. In fact, they met at the base of the Ahgase Mountains and hiked up together. They even pled their cases to King Jackson together. Wonpil was shy. Yet, on that day, Jinyoung saw nothing but sheer self assurance as Wonpil requested acceptance into Exile. They were both accepted, obviously. Wonpil worked as a tinkering engineer while Jinyoung fit comfortably into the small royal guard. Once Wonpil became the kingdom’s go to handyman and Jinyoung became Jackson’s personal guard, they didn’t find much time to spend together. And even now while they’re on vacation, they still split ways. 

Yugyeom linked arms with Jinyoung. “Look who I found!” He cheered to a group of boys dressed in the Lim guard’s blue uniforms. They all looked roughly Yugyeom’s age.

“It’s Park Jinyoung!” one of them gasped. All of the boys bowed. 

Jinyoung squirmed away from Yugyeom. “No, no! Please don’t do that. Please rise,” he begged the young guards. “It’s nice to see you again, Eunwoo and Mingyu. Have you all been taking good care of each other? Good to hear!”

The boys chatted with Jinyoung for a while before others noticed his presence. Soon the Exile was surrounded by old friends and colleagues. He cooly danced around the subject of his disappearance and sudden reappearance by asking how everyone was doing and if anything had changed while he was gone. Much of the news they recounted Jinyoung had already read in the announcements he ordered to the Kingdom of Exile. Jackson and BamBam loved to know what was going on everywhere. Plus, reading the paper was a suitable substitute for Jackson’s urge to travel.

Jinyoung was thankful when the conversation finally drifted away from him. He physically drifted out of the group as well. He stepped into an empty part of the ballroom to catch his breath. The guard looked around and found Lisa and Lucas staying relatively close together as they mingled with foreign and Lim guard trainees. He spotted Wonpil talking to and watching a kind looking blonde guy strum a guitar. Everyone was accounted for and enjoying themselves. Even Jinyoung admitted to himself that he was having fun too. He didn’t realize how much he missed seeing people! He grinned and took a step forward back into the group when…

“I have NEVER seen him THIS annoyed!” BamBam exclaimed as he pulled Jinyoung out of the crowd and into the corridor.

Jinyoung brushed himself off and crossed his arms. BamBam was ruining his happy moment. “What are you talking about?” he asked. His grin had disappeared.

BamBam informed, “It’s Jack! Something happened at the meeting of nations. I was too distracted by the other ambassadors to notice he left early, and now he's locked himself in his room! Such a big baby!”

Jinyoung rolled his eyes and tried to break away back into the ballroom. BamBam yanked him back out. He said, “Listen, I know you think I’m overreacting, but I’m scared it has something to do with King Jae-beom. If I go try to calm him down, we’ll both get worked up. If Lucas goes, he’s going to bottle the rage up and if Lisa goes, he’s going to lash out on her. Wonpil wouldn’t even go if I asked.”

Jinyoung nodded to get him to stop talking and said seriously, “Keep an eye on Wonpil and the kids.”

Once Jinyoung crossed the castle to King Jackson’s room, he deeply sighed, knocked lightly on the door, then said, “Your Grace? It’s Jinyoung. I’ll be on post if you need me.” 

The guardsman stood at attention in front of his king’s door. A young servant of the Lim family stood next to him. Jinyoung wondered how long she had been standing there but decided not to question her presence. 

A brief moment later, Jinyoung heard the door unlock. He didn’t turn around. The king cracked the door open slightly and addressed the servant, “Please send two of everything that they are offering at dinner tonight to my room. You can take as long as you like, thank you.”

The servant scurried down the corridor and Jackson closed the door. 

Since Jinyoung was so close to the door, he could hear Jackson pacing around inside. The king was very worked up, but Jinyoung didn’t know what to do about it. So, he stood and waited. He thought about why Jackson had ordered two of everything. “Maybe he’s just hungry. Although, he doesn’t ever eat that much. Hmmm. Oh! Maybe he’s expecting company. That must be why he’s locked himself in his room! He’s going to hold an important meeting. But, why is he so worked up? It must be _really_ important.”

An hour or so went by, and Park Jinyoung was still standing and waiting right outside his king’s door. For that hour he had been alone, but now the little servant was back. She pushed a four wheeled cart quietly down the hallway. Jinyoung stood aside as the servant knocked and entered the royal’s room. The servant exited without her cart. She grinned to the guard on duty and skipped happily down the hall, flipping a shiny gold coin in her hand. Jinyoung couldn’t help but smile at the child’s spirit.

“Are you coming?” King Jackson surprised Jinyoung. “What? Did I scare you? Come in or your dinner will get cold.”

All of Jinyoung’s theories had been debunked in just a few sentences. Jinyoung attempted to protest, “My king, I—“

“My king, nothing,” Jackson quickly rebutted, “You’re having dinner with me and that’s final. Unless you already ate…? No? Good. Get in here.”

Jinyoung slipped into the room. He pulled out a chair for the king. Jackson sat down gracefully. Then Jinyoung grabbed another chair and positioned himself across the quaint table from Jackson. 

The king said, “You dish. I talk.”

Jinyoung complied happily. The food smelled amazing! He was supposed to have supper at the party, but we all know how that turned out.

Jackson continued, “I’m glad you're here, Jinyoung, because I need to talk to someone with a level head. Usually I would discuss these kinds of problems with BamBam, but he and I have similar views on this matter. I want more of an...outside opinion.”

“I’m flattered, Your Grace,” Jinyoung replied as he handed a plate full of food across the table. “What is it I can do for you? Just listen?”

Jackson received it kindly. “Precisely. I’ll start by saying that I have met many people throughout my travels as a prince and now as a king. There have been certain people who have rubbed me the wrong way, of course. I know not everyone loves me, and that’s alright. But, never have I felt personally attacked...until now. And by another royal no less! I’ve been thinking it over for the last hour, but I can’t find any way I have wronged him. I barely know him, how could I have wronged him?” Jackson sighed and slumped back into his chair. “Have you witnessed me acting...disrespectful in any way, Jinyoung?”

Jinyoung asked a question in response, “Towards whom?”

“King Lim Jae-beom.”

Jinyoung took a large bite of his dinner to buy himself time to collect his thoughts and composure. BamBam’s suspicions were correct. After swallowing he finally said, “I think you’re one of the most respectful people I have ever met, my king.”

Jackson was touched and somewhat shocked. “You’re not just saying that because I’m your king, right?”

Jinyoung replied seriously, “I’m being completely sincere.”

Jackson leaned across the table and stared down his soldier as he ate. He narrowed his eyes. “You’re a very good actor, Jinyoung. Please. Tell me when I’ve been disrespectful.”

Jinyoung slightly panicked. “I’m not acting! I really don’t think I’ve ever seen you be rude.”

Jackson smiled contently. It quickly turned into a frown. “Then why does Lim Jae-beom hate me so?”

“No one hates you, Your Grace.”

“Then what is it!”

“He’s stressed! You handle stress better than he does.” Jinyoung panicked again. He sounded way too all-knowing. “I’m sure he’s acting a little annoyed with everyone he’s encountering.”

Jackson pushed himself out of his chair and paced around the room. “That’s just it! He’s not! He’s been so charming to his other guests. It’s like he’s targeting Bam and—“

Jinyoung appeared in front of Jackson, blocking his path. “No more pacing,” he said simply. He guided his king back to his chair and stood behind him. “My king, now you’re just being paranoid.” 

“What are you doing?” the agitated Jackson asked.

Jinyoung didn’t realize that his hands had found Jackson’s shoulders. He was giving his king a shoulder massage! He quickly lifted his palms away. “I apologize, Your Grace!”

The king grabbed both of Jinyoung’s hands and lowered them back onto his shoulders. That was Jinyoung’s cue to continue to swirl his fingers around Jackson’s tight muscles. When the king didn’t say anything, Jinyoung said, “I’m sorry if I overstepped. I used to calm down one of my friends this way. He’d get so tense when he’d get worked up. It seems you’re the same way, my king.”

“And you seem to be hitting all the right places,” Jackson groaned. 

Jinyoung was pleased with himself. “I apologize again, but these knots won’t get themselves out.” 

Words fell away. The soft crackle of the fireplace and Jackson’s occasional grunt filled the air. Jinyoung had rubbed out most of the kinks, but he continued to massage Jackson’s shoulders carefully anyway. He could tell Jackson enjoyed it. 

Jackson was able to forget his worries and ease his mind as he melted into Jinyoung’s strong fingers. Why did he want to moan? Why did his heartbeat hasten when he questioned why he wanted to moan? He patted one of Jinyoung’s hands and said, “Thank you. That’ll be enough.”

“Are you sure?” Jinyoung asked.

Jackson patted his hand again. “Yes. It’s time to rest these sore muscles.”

Jinyoung bowed to his king. “Then, I’ll wish you a good night, my king. Rest well.”

“You too,” Jackson responded simply.

As soon as Jinyoung exited his room, Jackson plopped onto his bed, buried his face in his fluffy pillow, and released his moan he’d been keeping back. How was he just about to let that sound out in front of Jinyoung? The embarrassment he would’ve felt! Jackson’s face was now twinged with red. Clearly, he had completely forgotten about Jae-beom. His mind replaced those negative thoughts with sweet thoughts of his loyal soldier.


	9. Entry

Ever since BamBam and Jackson had given Chae-jin the paper from the Stays’ territory, she couldn’t get The Snake out of her head. The princess had read over that pamphlet what felt like a hundred times. She scanned the libraries around the palace and even took a day trip into town to look through the library there—all in a fleeting attempt to find out anything more. Alas, she admitted defeat and decided to do the one thing she dreaded most: find and read Mark’s journal.

Mark was about nineteen when his parents died, leaving him to take care of his fifteen year old brother, Yugyeom, alone. Thankfully, the Lim family had hired Mark as a teacher straight out of the academy and had granted Yugyeom a spot as a guard trainee even at such a young age. This gave the two boys a stable roof over their heads: Yugyeom in the guards’ quarters and Mark in his own quaint room located in the corner of the west library. After he passed, Chae-jin and Yugyeom had managed to convince the queen (this took a lot of begging) to leave Mark’s room vacant so his few belongings could remain in a safe place. 

Yugyeom was the only one with a key, and since he and the princess were not on good terms, Chae-jin had to resort to more fiendish techniques. She took one of the pins in her dress, shoved it into the keyhole of the door to Mark’s room, and jiggled it around. When that didn’t work, she tried again but with more ferocity. And when that didn’t work, she kicked the door which created a loud thud. She grabbed her foot in pain and hopped around. Now facing the entrance of the library, she was able to witness a slim figure wander in.

"Ambassador BamBam!” the Lim princess gasped as she let go of her foot and straightened her posture.

The slender statesman strutted closer, a slightly worried grin across his face. He inquired, “Need some help?” BamBam pointed to the door. “Is it locked?”

Chae-jin nodded maybe a little too much. She muttered, “Ummm, yeah. I tried to use this pin from my dress to get it open.

“Can I see it?” BamBam asked with an outstretched hand. The princess handed the pin over. “Thank you. Oh, here’s your problem! The metal should be bent at the tip so it can hit the different pins in the lock.” The ambassador bent the pin CJ handed him, being careful to not break it, then jammed it into the lock. He continued, “Now, if I just...and—VOILA!” The lock clicked and BamBam opened the door. “Ladies first,” he said, motioning to the princess to enter.

Chae-jin’s face lit up. She entered Mark’s room full of excitement, but then she remembered why she was there in the first place. 

BamBam must’ve noticed the sudden mood change because he asked, “Is everything alright, princess?”

“No,” she answered truthfully. 

BamBam admired that.

Chae-jin elaborated, “Do you know who Mark Tuan is? Yes? This was his room.” 

The royal roamed around the space for a few moments, taking it all in. Mark’s simple wooden bed was centered against the back wall. Windows flanked the bed on each side. Debris floated across the room as Chae-jin opened the curtains, letting in the late autumnal sunlight. The air was old and musty. Every piece of furniture, every trinket, almost every inch of the dwelling had a thin layer of dust covering it. The princess’s eyes locked onto a large trunk next to Mark’s desk. She crouched down to open it. Among the many items inside was a stack of books. The princess went to work scanning through each of them.

After a few moments of no other noise but the sound of Chae-jin flipping pages, her curiosity got the best of her. She remarked, “I wonder...why is it you haven’t asked a single question about why I am here or what I am doing?”

BamBam shrugged. “That’s something I learned in Exile.”

“And what is that exactly?”

“How to not ask questions,” Bam chuckled.

Chae-jin giggled, “I guess I do ask a lot of questions...and talk a little too much.” She giggled again which led into a deep sigh, “Thank you for your help, but I think I’ll be fine from here if you wish to leave.”

“Well now I’m too invested to leave,” BamBam replied, “You _must_ tell me more about this Mi...Mo…”

“Mark.”

“Yes! Mark. What is your connection to him?

Chae-jin formed a smile without even knowing. “He became my teacher when I was nineteen and remained until”—the smile disappeared— “until he died a little over a year later. You know Yugyeom, right? My brother’s personal guard? He’s Mark’s younger brother.”

“They seem to be quite the pair, the king and a Yugyeom.”

“Ah, yes.”

The short reply signaled to BamBam that he should end that conversation, but he was just too interested in the subject.

“Speaking of Yugyeom,” he said, “what is he like?”

Chae-jin was now only half listening. She mumbled, “What do you mean?”

BamBam cleared his throat. “I mean...like...is he an extrovert or introvert...is he always so happy and airy...does he have a girlfriend...does he like going to parties, I know a few good places…has he ever considered dying his hair, I think yellow would be interesting—”

“I thought you said you didn’t like to ask questions.”

BamBam nervously laughed. “You’ve got me there, princess. I apologize for rambling.” He took a seat at Mark’s desk and started inspecting the items across it. 

Chae-jin abruptly answered, “Yugyeom can be shy, but when he’s comfortable he can be really outgoing. It is still a mystery to me, but it seems he _is_ always cheerful. He doesn’t mind a small gathering however large get-togethers, like the balls JB throws, put him on edge. We tried to dye his hair blonde once, but I turned his hair green, so we had to dye it fully black. I think it actually suited him more than the blonde would’ve. Oh and...as far as I know, he is single.”

BamBam’s mind was spinning with all of the sudden information. “Well...thank you, princess...I’m sorry, but I have one more question for you.”

“Ask away.”

“What exactly are you looking for in there?”

“I’m trying to find Mark’s journal. He wrote in it all the time.”

“Does it happen to be bound with soft brown leather and in my hand at this very moment?”

Chae-jin’s head snapped so fast she almost gave herself whiplash. There it was. “How did—”

BamBam handed the book down to her. “It was just sitting here on his desk. Maybe you weren’t the only one after it. Must be some pretty important information in it.”

“I’m hoping there is at least. I have always felt like Mark knew more than he was letting on. He seemed so...off that day. Oh, since I’ve got you here, is there anything more you could tell me about The Snake? I’ve been trying to do some research on my own, but I keep running into dead ends. Mark’s journal was my last hope.”

BamBam froze for a mere second, then retracted back to his coy state.

He asked a question of his own, “Why do you want to know about The Snake?”

“It’s another hunch of mine,” Chae-jin answered, “I have a suspicion that he is connected to the deaths of my beloved father and teacher. The Snake could’ve even committed the acts himself for all I know.”

“It’s not really his style,” BamBam retorted, “I have never come upon a report of The Snake being sighted at a murder scene, and I assure you that I am aware of every sighting of The Snake.”

“How can you be so sure?”

The question ripped right through BamBam. He realized he may have dug himself a bit of a hole.

“You could say it is a hobby of mine. I enjoy the mystery The Snake offers,” BamBam said, feeling as though he had adequately covered for himself, “It is always fun seeing where he ends up next.”

The princess was satisfied with his response. BamBam had freed himself from the hole. To refrain from falling back in, he made a bogus excuse that he had a meeting to attend and said goodbye to Chae-jin. And so, the princess was alone once more. 

Chae-jin spent the rest of the afternoon lying on Mark’s bed reading. The first entry was from September 4th and detailed how his brother had given him the journal as a present for his twenty-fourth birthday. Yugyeom had written a birthday note on half of the page while Mark journaled about his day on the other. Mark seemed to write a new entry weekly rather than daily. His writings usually filled the front and back of one page and consisted mostly of what he had taught the princess for the day and what stories Yugyeom had to offer during dinner. Chae-jin recalled a few of these stories since she had actually experienced them alongside Yugyeom. Remembering them made her smile and reading Mark’s comments on them made her laugh. Sometimes, especially at that moment, these boys felt closer to her than her own true relatives, even Jae-beom. Chae-jin had lost more than just one family member that tragic day. 

As she neared the end of the entries, the princess noticed a strange pattern. Suddenly, Mark began journaling everyday and each entry was shorter than the last. It started on August 26th:

_Tuesday, August 26th_

_I believe I have heard something I should not have today. Usually that means I overheard two of the younger girls chatting around instead of doing their tasks, but sadly this is not the case. It is not as childish as that; I feel that this is very serious, and I have found myself in danger. The people of this court should not be underestimated._

_Note: Do as much research into the one called “The Snake” as fast as you can._

“The Snake!” Chae-jin gasped. She continued on:

_Wednesday, August 27th_

_Found many recordings of “The Snake” appearing in the Wang Dynasty’s realm. There are only a few sightings recorded outside of that territory which includes one in the Lim kingdom. That confirms it then! You did hear him! You’re not crazy!_

_Thursday, August 28th_

_You must do what you can. While you may not be able to stop The Snake you can in fact protect one of his targets. You know she won’t submit very willingly, but you have to, even if it is the last thing you do._

_Note: Make sure you spend the morning with Yugyeom._

And that was it. The last pages were blank. 

“He-he was talking about me,” Chae-jin mumbled to herself, “He-he was protecting me. And I thought he was just doing another one of his annoying exercises!” The princess broke into a deep sob, closing the journal as to not wet the pages with her tears.

Those words had changed her. From then on Chae-jin made it her priority to find The Snake and make him answer for what he had done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	10. Important

The Lim Kingdom was known for their magnificent sunsets. King Jackson could catch brief glances of the evening sun just beginning to sink in the sky as he glided down the hall with his loyal guardsman by his side. Although the day was coming to an end, the castle remained busy. The duo maneuvered around group after group of royals in the halls to get to their destination.

Jackson grumbled, “How does he expect us to make it across this damn place in twenty minutes. He must schedule meetings this closely on purpose. He likes to watch others suffer.”

Jinyoung slightly rolled his eyes. (Thank goodness Jackson didn’t notice!) The guard did not make a single comment as his king continued to rant and ramble. He didn’t have the energy to interrupt, but it seems like someone else did.

“King Jackson! King Jackson! Park!” a boy shouted down the corridor.

Jinyoung and Jackson stopped in their tracks. They spun around where they found Lucas pushing passed people to get to them. He was out of breath when he finally reached them, but his smile remained nonetheless.

“You’ll never believe what happened today!” he cheered, “I met these really cool guys. They’re guards from other nations! And that’s not even the best part, they—”

Jinyoung interrupted the story, “I’m sorry Lucas, but we have to get to an important meeting.”

Lucas folded. “Oh, okay. I’m sorry I bothered you.” He turned back down the hall. 

Jackson felt his stomach twist. He took a few steps with Jinyoung in the opposite direction. Then, he stopped. “Jinyoung,” he addressed his guardsman, “do you think you can stall for me for a little bit? Or make up an excuse or something?”

Jinyoung had never seen his king look so distraught. Jinyoung tried, “My king, this is important.”

“Yeah? Well, so is Lucas.”

The guard sighed in defeat, “I will do my best.” He knew his king was right.

Jackson put a hand on his friend’s shoulder and assured, “I’ll see you at the show tonight,” before turning around and shooting down the hall. “Lucas wait!” he called out for the boy.

Jinyoung carried on to the meeting place, constructing in his mind the perfect excuse for Jackson’s absence.

-  
On the other side of the castle, another royal-guardsman pair was hurrying to make it to the meeting. King Jae-beom was practically running, cursing himself for not realizing how closely he had scheduled the two events. The only reason Yugyeom could keep up was because of his long stride. He was wise not to question his king’s decision to schedule the meetings so far away from each other. 

Jae-beom was too lost in thought to notice his own sister strolling down the hall the opposite way,

“Oh, JB! I was looking for you!” she shouted as she joined them on their fast paced journey. 

The king briefly replied, “I don’t have time for this, CJ.”

The strong-willed girl persisted, “You don’t even know what I’m going to say! It’s about Mark’s m-m-” 

Her brother barked, “Like I said, not right now!” Somehow, he picked up even more speed. Surprisingly, Chae-jin was able to match the pace.

The curious guard swung to the other side of JB, now in between the two royals.

“What about Mark?” Yugyeom softly asked Chae-jin.

The princess answered solemnly, “It’s really nothing.” She slowed her steps, putting more and more distance between her and the two boys.

Yugyeom stopped along with her, heading whipping back and forth between the two royals.

“Jae-beom, stop!” the guardsman yelled forward, “Just wait!” When his king continued on unbothered, Yugyeom’s frustration had peaked. He yelled again, this time with more fury, “Give your sister a singular moment of your day for once?”

Finally, Jae-beom stopped. He stomped back, invaded Yugyeom’s personal space, and confronted him, “Is that anyway to speak to your king?”

Yugyeom swallowed hard. He didn’t know what to say.

Chae-jin broke the two apart. “C’mon guys, let’s not do this, it’s okay.”

Jae-beom backed away. “We’re going to be late! Let’s go!” He demanded and trotted down the hall once more.

Yugyeom took one more look at Chae-jin and said, “No.” Jae-beom paused but did not turn around. The guard continued, “This is more important.” 

Jae-beom retorted, “Oh, I see where your priorities are.” He spun around and shouted, “If you care more about my sister than me why don’t you just look after her instead?”

Yugyeom felt a wave of confusion fall over him. He let out a dry laugh before shouting back, “That’s what I wanted to do in the first place! I—” Yugyeom thought for a brief moment. He knew what he must do. The guardsman continued, “You know what? Here!” Yugyeom unclasped the pin stuck to his lapel that signified he was in Jae-beom’s personal guard and softly threw it across the hall to the king. The pin slid across the floor, landing at Jae-beom’s feet. “I’ve had enough of this treatment.”

Chae-jin joined in, “ _We’ve_ had enough of this treatment.” She hooked her arm in Yugyeom’s, making him turn around with her and walk away. 

“Are you okay?” the princess whispered to her companion as they rounded the corner, now out of earshot.

Yugyeom resplied, “I’ll probably need to cry about it later, but let’s focus on you right this moment, please.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to cry now?”

The boy answered with a shaky voice, “Okay maybe just a little bit...”

Chae-jin pulled Yugyeom into the room nearby. It just so happened to be by the kitchen. She had a servant fetch some tea and snacks while the princess tried comforting her friend.

“I am so proud of you,” she murmured as she held Yugyeom’s face in her hands, “Thank you for standing up for me.”

Yugyeom mumbled, “I just wish I had done it sooner. You mean so much to me Jinnie, I—”

“Shhh, it’s okay…”

After some time to calm down, Yugyeom and Chae-jin were able to talk. It was their first meaningful chat in a while, but it felt as though nothing had changed. The duo recounted simple stories over tea until they both were ready to conquer the inevitable.

“So…” Yugyeom tried to start the next conversation, “What were you going to tell Jae-beom?”

Chae-jin released an exasperated sigh. 

Yugyeom quickly said, “We don’t have to talk about it if it—”

“No, no it’s okay!” Chae-jin pounced, “That sigh was more for my brother than for you. He’s been acting so stupid lately.” She rolled her eyes and took another sip of sweet liquid.

Yugyeom added, “Actually...he’s been like this since even before the competition. It’s just gotten worse recently, but I’m unsure of why. I’m so clueless—”

“No you are not!” Chae-jin assured him, “You noticed his poor behavior before I even did, if anyone here is clueless it’s me!”

“Ah, don’t be too hard on yourself. He’s been distant to everyone since your father died. The only reason I noticed was because I was with him all day every day.”

“Are you sad that it’s over now?”

Yugyeom stared down into his tea, stirring it lazily. He replied without looking up, “No. King Jae-beom and I were not the greatest match. I could tell he always wanted someone else by his side. I’m more sad that I am out of a job while the head of the guard figures out where to stick me next.”

Chae-jin smiled. “I think I can make some arrangements.”

Then her mood swiftly changed once more. The princess huffed, “I still don’t know why JB did what he did to us. He knew I wanted you in my guard!”

“Well…” Yugyeom’s face warmed up. “I am ashamed that I kept this from you, but actually a bit surprised I didn’t come clean earlier. I guess there’s no better time than now. Jae-beom made a deal with me. He said that if I were to become his personal guard, then he would help me continue the investigation into my brother’s murder. I was so heartbroken the day the queen announced the investigation would be stopped that I was willing to do anything. Now I realize how foolish I was. Jae-beom never listened to my leads. He never came up with any of his own either. I should’ve known—”

Chae-jin gently grasped Yugyeom’s hand across the table. “You couldn’t have known, Yugyeom,” she said softly, “I would’ve done the same as you.”

The guardsman squeezed the princess’s hand lightly and gave her a thankful look. 

The air shifted.

“I bet it took you half the time to find all the information I did about Mark, right?” Yugyeom chuckled.

CJ grinned. “I did find an interesting lead rather quickly. Although, I must admit, I had quite the head start. In the beginning, I was not even interested in finding out more about his death, at least that wasn’t my main priority. It was actually Ambassador BamBam from Exile that spurred my hunt. He gave me a news pamphlet from the Stay territory. The headline depicted the one called The Snake. Ambassador BamBam told me The Snake is a mysterious figure who pops up around the world. I was immediately intrigued.”

“Now I am too!” Yugyeom cheered, a giddy grin across his face.

“He didn’t tell me much else. I didn’t want to bother the ambassador any further...especially since my brother and the Exiles don’t seem too friendly.”

“It really is a shame,” Yugyeom added with a sigh, “King Jackson and the others from his kingdom are very good people, at least from what I can tell. Heck, Park Jinyoung is even with them, how bad could they be?”

“Exactly!”

The duo shared a frustrated sigh simultaneously causing them to erupt in giggles. When they came back to reality, the princess continued.

“Instead, I went to every library in a five mile radius to find out more. Sadly, I came up with nothing. And embarrassingly, I may have broken into Mark’s room and looked through his journals, please don’t hate me!” CJ braced for impact.

Yugyeom chuckled. “I don’t mind. I know you didn’t have poor intentions. Next time just ask for the key, or better yet...I should just make you a copy!”

Chae-jin’s eyes sparkled. “I would love that very much!”

“Anyways, as you were saying…”

“Ah, yes! So, in the final pages of his journal, Mark mentions The Snake in his cryptic and worrying writings. It seems as though he overheard a conversation between The Snake and someone else, and he knew The Snake planned to kill members of the royal family.”

Yugyeom agreed, “I figured the same. I had an inkling my brother knew more than he was letting on. 

“The key to solving this mystery is finding out who this sneaky snake really is, but I don’t know if we can do this on our own. We need to enlist the help of someone with extreme power," Chae-jin resolved

“Are you sure you want to do that, especially during the music competition going on?”

The princess firmly nodded. “This assassin could be here among us. We must take this to the queen.”


	11. Freestyle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Princess Chae-jin and her trusted friend, Yugyeom decide to take what they know about The Snake to the queen. Also, we get to check in on the festival and see how our competitors are doing!

The tradition the Lims held of always eating their meals together vanished, not as recently as when the festival started, but as long ago as the day after the former king died. Now, the Lims rarely ate together, in fact, the three of them were rarely even in the same room at the same time. So, it was not unusual that Chae-jin had dinner with Yugyeom instead of her mother. After the duo had eaten their meal, yes they were still hungry after all that snacking, they traveled down to where the queen commonly received her supper: the main dining room. The queen believed a room as grand as the main dining room should not go unused, even if it was ridiculous for one to be dining alone in such a massive space.

Chae-jin and Yugyeom were indeed in the right place. They found the Lim queen sitting at the head of an unnecessarily long wooden table that stood in the center of the room as she was finishing off her meal with a cup of tea. The couple approached her.

The queen looked up sternly and declared, “What do _you_ want?”

A shiver rattled down Chae-jin’s spine. “We must discuss an urgent matter with you, mother,” she answered strongly.

“We?” the queen questioned, “Ah, I did not even notice you at first, Kim Yugyeom.”

The same chills shot down the guardsman’s spine. He instinctively bowed and murmured, “It is a pressing matter, Your Eminence.”

“Then stop beating around the bush and let it out already!” The queen replied shortly, “I have a performance to get to!”

Chae-jin swallowed hard before she began, “Do you know of the one they call...The Snake?”

The queen rose from her seat in irritation. She sighed, “I do not have time for childish stories.”

“So you have?” the princess persisted. “Has he ever been investigated by the Lim guard?”

The queen scoffed, “How can a simple myth be investigated?”

“But he _is_ real, my queen!” a desperate Yugyeom shouted. He shot his head down to the floor but continued, “A sighting of The Snake was recorded on the same day the former king was murdered.”

The queen was quiet for some time. She was seemingly emotionless until a small smirk appeared in the corner of her mouth. Chae-jin noticed this. It made her stomach flip. Suddenly, she had a bad feeling about informing her mother of their leads.

Finally the queen resolved, “You’re right, Yugyeom. He was here. Yes, I do know about this reptilian rascal. The evidence you have gathered to accuse this mysterious man must be compelling. Guard! Please send for the head of the detective unit, we’re reopening the investigation into my late husband’s death.”

This guard the queen hailed asked, “Is there anything else I should tell her, my queen?”

That mischievous smirk reappeared. Her Eminence responded, “Tell her that The Snake is our prime suspect.”

* * *

Dinner came and went. The sun was down, and the stars were out. Everyone who was anyone flocked to the main ballroom to watch the night’s performances for the festival. The day had already been long, but many were excited to witness what the talents had to show off. Some kingdoms had already dropped out for various reasons, although there were still many more competitors left to participate including Wonpil, Lucas, and Lisa. Jinyoung was awarded some points for his flawless dance with the Lim princess during the first ball; however, he did not have the desire nor the time to be a fully-fledged competitor. Nonetheless, the points still were added to Exile’s overall score, placing them in the top three of the rankings.

Wonpil performed near the beginning of the night, showing off his expert skills on the piano. Lucas was more towards the middle of the pack. He performed as a group with a few boys he met from the other nations. They had real potential, if only they had practiced a little more than just a day! 

Last but not least was Lisa’s performance. By this time, many were starting to get bored and tired as the competition was going on pretty late. Lisa planned to rap a poem she had written recently. Every other contestant sang their selections which worried Lisa immensely. So much so that the guard trainee made the split second decision to become a singer! She thought it was her only chance of doing well now. Once she whispered to the instrumental ensemble what song to play (it was just something for background, she was making it up as she went along), she glided to the center of the ballroom just as all the others had done previously. There she realized just how many people were in attendance, how many eyes were staring at her. Lisa froze. She tried to move, tried to speak, tried to do anything, and couldn’t. Even when the music started, she couldn’t. Her plan was failing right before her eyes.

Jinyoung was confused but for a different reason than most. He whispered to Jackson, “She’s been going through her performance all week. She didn’t forget it, I know she didn’t.”

“What selection did she pick?” a worried Jackson asked.

“She wrote this beautiful poem. She kept reciting it all throughout practice,” Jinyoung answered.

Jackson and BamBam shared a glance across the room. That was enough to have Bam hastily place his drink in someone else’s hand and Jackson take off his heavy fur and stand up.

Jinyoung exclaimed in a whisper, “Wait, my king! Where are you going!”

“Just come with me,” Jackson barked quietly.

Together they made their way to the center of the ballroom. There, they met BamBam and Lisa. 

The king said to his statesman, “Distract them for a minute or two?”

BamBam nodded and dragged Jinyoung away from Jackson and Lisa. He murmured, “I spit, you give me a beat okay?”

“Bam—”

“Shhh! Just do it!”

The ambassador nodded to the guardsman. With a roll of the eyes, Jinyoung began beatboxing to the best of his ability. BamBam had regained the audience’s full attention with his easy flowing freestyle. It was the perfect distraction for their king. 

While his fellow Exiles were putting on an amazing show, Jackson softly chatted with Lisa. She told him about her worries, and he encouraged her to perform her poem, saying that he, Bam, and Jinyoung would remain with her throughout. The light returned to the girl’s eyes, mission accomplished.

Ambassador BamBam had thoroughly excited the crowd. Jinyoung threw in some adlibs here and there, letting the hype take over him. Jackson took over freestyling for a bit to give Bam a break, and Lisa a few moments to refocus. By now, the instrument ensemble had taken over the rhythm, letting Jinyoung off the hook. Jackson and BamBam knew how to grab an audience, and once Lisa gained her confidence back, she had the same skill. The three boys went hard hyping Lisa up before, during, and especially after her verse.

The audience erupted with applause. The trio of boys were so proud of Lisa, but even more importantly, Lisa was proud of herself. Although, she wasn’t the only one who benefited for that astounding performance. BamBam had the chance to show off his talents in front of everyone, depicting him as more than just some Exile. In Jinyoung’s case, he had never felt more honored to be one of Lisa’s mentors, to be Jackson’s personal guard, and like Bam, to be an Exile. Their performance was showstopping, and it was a good thing Lisa was the last to perform. Jinyoung couldn’t imagine anyone trying to top that!

Suddenly, the ballroom went silent. Jinyoung turned around to see the Lim queen strolling towards him and the other Exiles. Instinctively, he knelt down and tilted his head toward the floor to avoid eye contact. BamBam saw this which caused his suspicion to peak, but for the moment, pushed it aside and concluded Jinyoung was just being respectful.

The queen rejoiced, “Let’s hear it one more time for the wonderful Lisa, the winner of tonight’s showcase!” The crowd erupted with cheer. 

The Exiles looked back and forth between each other, all of them completely dumbfounded. Jackson and BamBam came out of the daze at about the same time, for they simultaneously started jumping around excitedly and roped both Jinyoung and Lisa into a big group hug. They glided apart as the ballroom became more and more chaotic. Soon, they were each split up. Jinyoung was able to make out where everyone was, so he wasn’t too worried.

Jinyoung witnessed a girl he had never seen before break from the crowd and run up to Lisa. Two other girls followed. They seemed to be congratulating Lisa on her success, wide grins plastered across all their faces. The happiness they radiated was contagious. Jinyoung couldn’t help but be happy too. That feeling quickly diminished when King Jae-beom appeared. He watched as the Jae-beom gravitated towards Jackson across the room. The two kings interacting made Jinyoung extremely uneasy. 

But, when Lisa skipped up to Jinyoung, he was forced to push this emotion aside.

“Lisa!” he cheered, “You were amazing out there!”

“Thanks!” she replied joyfully, “It was all thanks to you guys!”

“Pfft, we didn’t do anything. It was all you!”

“Yeah, right! Good one, Park,” she lightly punched her mentor, “Thank you for letting me show you my dancing and rapping instead of my punching and kicking during practice.”

Jinyoung couldn’t be mad at that grin. “You’re welcome, but don’t expect it to happen again!”

The duo shimmied across the room to the exit. Their next destination? The kitchen, for celebration snacks!

-

“What a show you put on,” King Jae-beom sneered. To top it off, he offered a slow, patronizing clap.

BamBam turned around when Jackson wouldn’t. “ _Lisa_ would love to hear your gratitude, Your Majesty.” He turned back around, thinking he had ended the conversation.

“I’d rather show my _frustration_ , but not to the young girl, to _you_.” Jae-beom stepped forward confidently. “Neither of you were entered as competitors. You jeopardized your precious Lisa’s chance at helping in your nation’s victory, if you’d even make it that far.”

Jackson whipped around this time, surprising both BamBam and Jae-beom. “Take it up with your mother,” he protested softly, making him even more threatening.

BamBam joined in on the fun, although he seemed to take on more of a reptilian resemblance. “Were you this condescending to Jinyoung when he earned points for Exile the very first night we were here?” he remarked, “He wasn’t a competitor. What were the two of you doing out there anyway? The fact that you can’t answer those questions... _that’s_ the problem here.”

The ambassador’s strike had crushed any opportunity the Lim king had to get in the final word. This had been the second instance that day of Jae-beom losing a fight.

Jackson gained a moment of clarity as they walked away. He stopped BamBam and asked, “What were you talking about? What do you know that I don’t?”

BamBam swallowed hard. He’d just then realized what cat he had let out of the bag. “We should probably have a talk,” he resolved.


	12. Quiet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It seems like Bam and Jack had that talk they spoke about earlier...

The next day was rather quiet. No meetings were scheduled. Competitors were closed away in different portions of the palace practicing for their next performances. Jackson and BamBam had locked themselves in Exile king’s bedroom since breakfast and were not coming out anytime soon. What were they doing? Jinyoung gave up wondering this halfway through the day. He figured what was being discussed between the two of them was above his pay grade anyway. The guardsman instead requested a few Lim guards to stand outside of King Jackson’s room so he could go off and run training drills with Lucas and Lisa. 

The two guard trainees were quiet as well. This silence was sort of a present to Jinyoung—he had dedicated almost the entire prior week to helping them practice for their performances, so it was the least they could do. And it would seem their kindness paid off, for Park let them off early for dinner. However, the real reason for training being cut short was that one of the Lim guards sent Jinyoung a message from his king. There was to be a meeting of the Exiles immediately. 

Jinyoung led his two trainees to the meeting place. It was a small room, probably not meant for dining, but that’s what the Exiles were using it for. Wonpil, Ambassador BamBam, and King Jackson were already seated at the quaint table, murmuring betwixt one another. This ceased altogether once the guard trio walked in.

The king attempted to lighten the heavy aura around the room. He rose from his seat with a grin. “My trainees!” he cheered, “Come in! Come in! Have a seat so we can finally begin. Are you two hungry? I thought you might be.”

As the kids took their seats, a few servants loaded the table with food, food that smelled so utterly delicious that Jinyoung momentarily forgot about the mysterious tension in the air. He too had a seat at the table, but it didn’t feel like it. As the others shared moments of their day between bites, Jinyoung did not participate. He had nothing to say, or maybe he was scared of saying the wrong thing.

As dinner wound down and the conversation dwindled, the tension increased up until BamBam tried to say, “I...we...it would be for the best if—”

“We’re leaving the Lim Kingdom,” King Jackson interjected.

Lucas and Lisa gasped simultaneously. “What?” “Why?”

Jackson cut their whining short by informing, “The winter in Exile has been a tough one. BamBam and I have resolved to gather some supplies here in the Lim Kingdom and take them back home to support our nation.”

Wonpil said solemnly, “Well, if Exile needs us…”

“When are we leaving?” Lucas asked, tears in his eyes.  
Jackson couldn’t look at him. He answered, “Two days from now.”

Lisa suddenly stood from the table with a blank face. She pushed her chair back under the table then left the room in a hurry. BamBam shot up as soon as she started booking it for the door.

“Let her go,” Jinyoung said simply. These were his first words of the night.

BamBam slumped into his chair.

Lucas exited as well saying, “I-I need to...to” before walking out the door. It was heartbreaking to say the least.

* * *

Jinyoung had stayed behind to escort his king back to his bedroom for the night. As they walked, the royal attempted to get a few more words out of the guardsman.

“You’re awfully quiet,” Jackson remarked. “Something weighing on your mind?”

Jinyoung looked away from his king and said, “That’s not why we’re really leaving, is it? Because I’ve been corresponding with Namjoon, and everything seems to be going smoothly in Exile.”

Jackson rolled his eyes and continued down the corridor.

Jinyoung scurried to catch up. “We must stay! I’ve never seen Lucas and Lisa so engaged. And Wonpil seems to be just coming out of his shell!”

“It’s for the best,” Jackson replied coolly.

Jinyoung sighed. He was desperately grasping at straws. “I-I can talk to him! I—“

Jackson whipped around violently and stopped Jinyoung in his tracks. “From what I’ve heard, it seems you've already talked to him, on multiple occasions in fact.”

Jinyoung was paralyzed and speechless.

“So it’s true,” Jackson exhaled sharply.

“It’s not what you think! I-I...we—“

“I’ve had enough excuses, Jinyoung! You keep defending him no matter the circumstance. He’s not even your king! Would you do that for me?”

Jinyoung was appalled by that question. “Of course I would, Your Grace,” he stated seriously.

“Well, it doesn’t seem like it. We leave in two days.” 

Jackson stomped away to his room and slammed his door shut once he was inside. The king felt his heart lurch in his chest. He put his back against the door and closed his eyes tight. Jackson forced himself not to go back out there. He continued to reassure himself that he made the right decision—they had to leave the Lim Kingdom.

Out in the hallway, the guardsman did not move. He knew his king well. The guard believed there was a slight chance his king would come back, so he remained frozen. Although, he did lose all hope after a few moments. He nodded to himself and spun around on his heels. He wanted to be anywhere but there.

But where could he go? Jinyoung thought of one place he would truly be alone: the tunnels. Luckily, he remembered an entrance to the secret passageways was close by. The door was concealed as a large picture of one of the past royals. Jinyoung simply pulled the frame away from the wall and voila! He entered into the cold stone passage. The path was dim, so Jinyoung treaded carefully. He placed his hand on the icy wall, using it as his guide through the tunnel.

The guardsman walked along for quite some time. No matter, for the peace and quiet was therapeutic to him. He figured he must’ve been all the way across the castle, but it was hard to tell since there were no windows or any specific location markers in the passages. Plus, it had been ages since Jinyoung had last been down there, at least it felt that way. 

The Exile lightly gasped when he lifted his head to see a low gleam before him. He tiptoed further to investigate. Jinyoung could make out a figure sitting in a nook in the wall. The figure had a dim oil lamp sitting next to them. As the guard inched closer, he managed to stumble on a pile of rocks which made the figure aware of his presence. Jinyoung emerged from the shadows, fully revealing himself.

The figure was shocked at first glance but then began to laugh hysterically. Instead of scaring him away, Jinyoung actually came even further into the light. Now he could clearly see who this snickering silhouette truly was.

“Jae-beom?” the guardsman asked, “What are you doing down here of all places?”

The king couldn’t stop giggling. Jinyoung assumed the empty bottles next to him might be the reason why. 

Jae-beom’s giggle turned into a scoff. “What am _I_ doing down here? This is _my_ castle. What are _you_ doing down here? Not with your owner, puppy?”

Jinyoung was taken aback. 

The king mocked him with a pout. “Aw, nothing to say?” He took another swig from his bottle.

The guardsman turned to go back the way he came.

“Yeah, that’s right! Leave!” Jae-beom barked, “Leave just like you always do! Go back to those rotten Exiles—”

“That’s enough!” Jinyoung swung around fiercely. “You can talk about me and my choices all you want, but do not, do not ever, bring them into this.”

“What a good idea! Why don’t we talk about your choices, huh? Why did you decide to leave at rock bottom, Jinyoung? I thought you were my friend! I thought you were my…” Jae-beom broke eye contact with the guardsman and took yet another drink. 

Jinyoung released a short chuckle. “You know what? I am tired of feeling this guilt that I should not have in the first place. Do you think I actually wanted to leave? Did that thought ever once cross your mind! I loved you, Jae-beom! Why would I—” Jinyoung suddenly realized what he had said.

Jae-beom sat, mouth agape. “Wha-what did you just say?”

“I-I...well, I did. I _did_ love you, Jae-beom. But, that’s in the past now.”

All of a sudden, Jae-beom launched himself from his nook. He wobbled on his feet, so Jinyoung held him steady. “It doesn’t have to be,” the king whimpered.

The fog that had been with Jinyoung since he arrived in the Lim Kingdom lifted from his mind. “Ah, I get it now,” he said softly, “Jae-beom, you have to let me go. No! Not literally, you drunk! Listen to me! What we had is over. I don’t have those same feelings anymore. We must move on.”

“But...but I can’t.” Jae-beom slumped down against the wall, “Can’t you see? I’ve tried! For years!” Tears ran down his rosy cheeks. 

Jinyoung crouched down in front of his old friend and wiped his tears away. He murmured, “Look at me, Jae-beom. I still care for you, probably more than I should after everything you’ve pulled with my king. You were not the reason for my departure. In fact, my feelings for you made it almost impossible to leave this place. I apologize for not being there for you then, and I also apologize for not being able to be here for you now. Exile is set to leave the Lim Kingdom in two days, and I am to go with them. Exile is my home now. It’s where I belong. You belong here, leading your people as the strong leader I always knew you to be.”

Jae-beom was sobbing heavily. He had his arms across his knees with his head buried in them. “I can’t do it,” he mumbled, “I’m not fit for this role.”

“You are the only one who thinks that way. Everyone else can see your potential.” Jinyoung had an epiphany. “Do you know who especially sees that potential?”

“Who?” Jae-beom lifted his weary eyes.

Jinyoung answered, “King Jackson.”

Jae-beom rolled his eyes and stuffed his face back into his arms.

“No, no! Listen,” Jinyoung continued, “He gets so angry with you because he can see the greatness you are just throwing away.”

“Don’t,” Jae-beom replied sharply.

Jinyoung huffed and stood. “If you won’t come to your senses, then this has been pointless.” The annoyed Exile took his leave.

The Lim king stayed in the tunnel for the rest of the night. He woke up in a complete haze, but where did this haze come from? Was it the hangover’s fault or did it spur from the identity crisis? Jae-beom did not know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The angst is real with this one! Sorry for leaving y'all with a pretty sad chapter after the rollercoaster of emotions we've all been on during the last 24 hours. Just remember, 7 or nothing, 7 or never, got7 forever! Ahgase fighting! Thank you for reading <3


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